Where Do Adders Live? Habitats in Britain and Europe

Where do adders live in Britain?

The common European adder is found across mainland Great Britain, from the far southwest of England to the north coast of Scotland, and on several Scottish islands. Its distribution is patchy, though. Adders survive mainly where large areas of semi-natural habitat remain, and they have disappeared from much of lowland central England, where farmland and towns cover most of the land.

Strongholds include the lowland heaths of Dorset, Hampshire (including the New Forest) and Surrey, the heaths and coast of Suffolk and Norfolk, Cannock Chase, the moors of southwest England, upland Wales, the North York Moors and large parts of the Scottish Highlands.

Adders are absent from Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. The reason is geological rather than legendary: after the last Ice Age, rising seas cut Ireland off from Britain before reptiles could spread there. Our guide to animals of Ireland explains why the island has no snakes.

Which habitats do adders prefer?

Adders are not tied to one habitat type. What they need is a fine mix of features close together, often within a few hundred meters:

• Basking spots: sunny, sheltered banks, south-facing slopes and patches of bare ground or short vegetation where they can warm up in the morning.
• Cover: heather, bracken, gorse, bramble or tussocky grass to hide in when disturbed and to hunt from.
• Hibernation sites: frost-free holes underground, such as old rodent burrows, root holes and cracks in banks.
• Feeding areas: damp grassland, bog edges and woodland rides rich in voles, mice, lizards and frogs.

Typical places include lowland heathland, upland moorland, chalk downland, rough commons, bogs and fens with dry margins, the edges of woods and forestry rides, hedge banks, railway embankments, quarries, sea cliffs and sand dunes. Adders sometimes go into wet places, including the banks of streams and ponds, but they need dry ground nearby.

Where do adders live in Europe and Asia?

Beyond Britain, the adder lives in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, the Baltic states, Scandinavia and Finland. It continues east through Russia and Siberia to the Pacific coast, Sakhalin Island, North Korea, northern Mongolia and northern China. No other viper has a range anywhere near as large.

In northern Europe, adders live in lowlands, forests, bogs and coastal areas. In southern Europe they become mountain snakes, found in the Alps and in the mountains of Italy, the Balkans and northern Greece, where cooler, damper conditions suit them. In the Swiss Alps they reach about 3,000 m (9,800 ft). In parts of southern France and northern Italy they also survive in low-lying wetlands.

The adder lives farther north than any other snake, beyond the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia and Finland. Find out how it copes with such long winters in How far north do adders live?

Where adders meet other vipers in southern and central Europe, they tend to separate by habitat. In Hungary and Russia, for example, the adder avoids open steppe grassland, which is home to the meadow viper.

Where do adders spend the winter?

Adders hibernate underground from about October to February or March in Britain, and for 8–9 months in northern Sweden. They choose spots that stay above freezing, such as old mammal burrows, holes under tree roots, cavities in banks, stone walls and rocky slopes.

Good hibernation sites, or hibernacula, are often used year after year, and many adders may gather in a single den. In spring, adders bask close to the entrance for days or weeks before moving to summer feeding areas, which may be several hundred meters away. Because these traditional sites are so important, disturbing or destroying them can wipe out a local population.

When and where can you see adders?

The best time to see adders is on sunny, still mornings from late February to April, when they bask in the open near their winter dens and the vegetation is still low. Males usually appear first. Look along the edges of heather, bracken and scrub, especially on south-facing banks.

Walk slowly and quietly along paths, because adders feel footsteps and slip away quickly. Use binoculars, keep dogs on a leash and never pick up or disturb a snake. For tips on telling an adder from other species, see our snakes in the UK guide.