- Lifespan
- 15–20 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 60–67 cm average, occasionally up to 75 cm; 40–150 g
- Habitat
- Heathland, grassland, and open woodland with sandy or light soils, often near areas with good ground cover and rodent populations.
- UK Distribution
- Extremely rare and restricted to southern England, primarily the heathlands of Surrey, Hampshire, and West Sussex. Resident but with fragmented, declining populations.
- Diet
- Small reptiles and rodents; primarily feeds on slowworms, lizards, and small mammals such as shrews and voles.
- Prey
- Slowworms, common lizards, sand lizards, shrews, voles, mice
- Predators
- Badgers, foxes, birds of prey, grass snakes, and larger adders
- Mating Season
- April to June
- Breeding
- Ovoviviparous (live-bearing); typically 4–15 young born August to September; no parental care provided.
- Behaviour
- Smooth snakes are secretive, nocturnal hunters that remain hidden under logs, leaf litter, and stones during the day. They are docile by nature and rarely bite, relying on stealth to hunt rather than speed. They are one of Britain's rarest reptiles with populations severely fragmented.