| 1 | Horseshoe whipsnake |
A non-venomous snake which moves at a rapid pace. This species can reach 1.5 metres and has an aggressive personality, lunging and snapping if you invade its personal space. Horseshoe whipsnakes are found in the southern two thirds of Spain, where they’re extremely abundant, crawling over rocks and dirt roads in their neverending quest for calories. They’ve also become an invasive species on Ibiza, where they’re wreaking havoc on native Ibiza wall lizards.
Horseshoe whipsnakes are common partly because they have a very flexible diet. This consists of 45% mammals, 28% reptiles, 17% birds, and 10% amphibians, according to one study. Specific prey include Iberian wall lizards, house sparrows, black rats and wood mice. Horseshoe whipsnakes are also willing to scavenge rotting carcasses, and for some reason, they always swallow their prey head first.
Horseshoe whipsnakes aren’t fussy about their habitats, but prefer open areas like Mediterranean shrub, crop fields and rocky grassland. They usually avoid dense forests. Their closest living relative is the Algerian whipsnake, over the Mediterranean in North Africa. The two are estimated to have diverged 4-7 million years ago.
| 2 | Lataste’s viper |
Lataste’s viper is Spain’s main viper, and the only dangerous species in central and southern Spain. It belongs to the true viper (Vipera) family like the UK’s adder, and is recognisable by its rocky grey scales and an upturned nose like a horn.
Lataste’s vipers aren’t severely venomous, with a small venom yield of 15-30mg. However, 5 people died from 1997-2009. The main symptoms are necrosis and haemorrhaging, with blackening patches of skin spreading from the bite site. Luckily, they stick to rural areas, and even then, rocky slopes and holm oak forest. Lataste’s vipers have narrow habitat requirements, never appearing in crop fields or village playparks. Their grey scales are designed for camouflage in these rock field hangouts. Consequently, Lataste’s vipers are rarer than they used to be.
This is a small viper at 30-60cm, and a record of just 73cm. Lataste’s vipers inhabit the southern two thirds of Spain, skipping the northern coast and Pyrenees. Crazy beliefs surround Lataste’s vipers, such as a mournful song they produce from the bushes, or that they stalk villagers for miles and miles.
| 3 | Viperine water snake |
A member of the harmless Natrix family, also containing grass snakes. This is a water snake which gets its name from mimicking vipers with its colours, hoping to gain a survival advantage. Viperine water snakes (Natrix maura) even mock lunge like a viper, and can modify their head to make it triangular.
This is a semi-aquatic snake which spends much of its time in rivers. Hatchlings hunt tadpoles and earthworms, while adults graduate to fish and frogs. Perez’s frog is one Spanish species they’re known to feed on. Natrix maura is a clumsy hunter, as in a study from Spain’s River Jalon, they struck at fish 124 times, but only seized them twice, and even then failed to swallow. They normally wait in ambush, but sometimes swim directly at busy schools of fish, biting down when they feel contact against their scales.
This species is no threat to a sun-seeking holidaymaker. The viperine watersnake will rarely bite even if picked up and cradled in the palm of your hand. Natrix maura reaches 85cm, and inhabits the whole of Spain, plus Portugal, southern France and Italy (and North Africa).
| 4 | Ladder snake |
This 100cm species is the top mammal eater of Spanish snakes. Ladder snakes are non-venomous yet vicious, and live all over the Spanish countryside. They can rear their serpent heads in pine forests, holm oak, hedgerows bordering dirt tracks, and dry pasture land alike. Ladder snakes also lurk in the stone rubble of abandoned buildings, and get their ladder name from markings down their spine as a hatchling.
This Spanish snake likes to invade burrows, weaving through dark soil networks, in order to eat sleeping mammals. Ladder snakes can swallow several small mammals at once, ambushing them while they think they’re safe. Their single favourite species is the Meiditerrean pine vole, making up 24.6% of its calories.
They also have their own nemesis: the short-toed eagle. This snake-eating bird is particularly common in Spain, and the ladder snake is their favourite species to eat (exactly why is a mystery). To escape, ladder snakes stash themselves in hollows in olive trees. These trees are often uprooted and shipped to Ibiza for ornamental purposes, which means that the ladder snake is now an invasive species.
| 5 | Montpellier snake |
The largest snake in Spain, reaching a maximum of 2.4 metres. This is a very common snake which is always zooming around the countryside, moving hundreds of metres per day. Montpellier snakes are mildly venomous, but no threat to humans, as their mouths are too small to bite, unless you poke your finger deliberately into its mouth. Its venom causes paralysis, blurred vision, and breathing difficulties, and can paralyse a wall lizard in 50 seconds.
According to one study montpellier snakes eat 51.2% reptiles, 35.3% mammals, and 13.5% birds. They’re a very flexible eater, and they often invade crop fields in search of rodents. Montpellier snakes also pop up in towns, parks, garbage dumps – there’s few limits on this adventurous Spanish serpent. They inhabit Spain, Portugal, plus Morocco, where they’re a staple of snake charming.
Montpellier snakes are a rare snake to shine their scales. They secrete a wax rich in long chain fatty acids, and steadily rub it into every centimetre of their body using their nose. This might be to prevent moisture loss in the hot midday Spanish sun (as this is a day-faring snake).
| 6 | False smooth snake |
A humble soil dweller which isn’t seen often by ordinary Spanish people. This is a mildly venomous snake which lurks in a burrow most of the day, pokes its head out at 6:00pm, and ventures out to hunt reptiles (its main prey) in complete darkness. False smooth snakes need areas with plenty of moisture. Forest clearings, damp riversides or forest outskirts fit the bill, as do scrublands with soft soil. You’ll never find them on a dusty, dry dirt track like the montpellier snake.
False smooth snakes get 50% of their calories from one reptile, the Iberian worm lzard. They’re extremely slow, and can take 70 minutes to disable and swallow one reptile. Iberian wall lizards are another top prey.
To recognise this Spanish snake, look at the neck: false smooth snakes always have an unbroken black neck collar, whether their body is olive or cream. This snake maxes out at 60cm, and is believed to have reached Spain very recently, only in the last 10,000 years. It has a tiny genetic divergence with the North African populations, of just 0.1%.
| 7 | Red-eyed grass snake |
The Spanish version of the harmless grass snake found all over Europe. Until 2016, this was merely a subspecies: Natrix natrix astreptophora. Then scientists discovered differences large enough that it was clearly independent. It had unique ruby-shaped eyes, fewer belly scales, and a subtly different skull shape.
What’s more, the red-eyed grass snake overlapped with the main species in extreme southern France, yet the two never interbred. The two had no interest in each other, proving that they were independent genetically, diverging millions of years ago. Ruby-eyed grass snakes reach 120cm and inhabit the whole of Spain. They mainly eat frogs, and are surprisingly good swimmers. If picked up, they never bite, cowering in their coils instead.
This Spanish grass snake also likes drier habitats compared to the main European one. Though harmless, one of their tricks is rearing up and spreading their neck like a cobra, to convince predators that it’s severely venomous. This is thought to have copied a European cobra which is now extinct. Migratory birds from Africa still carry the fear of cobras, and when they dock in Spain temporarily, this grass snake has the power to scare them off.
| 8 | Baskian viper |
Lataste’s viper inhabits the southern three quarters of Spain, but the Baskian viper (Vipera seoanoi) inhabits the north and northwest. This species has noticeably more complex patterns, like an ornate rug in a mansion, while Lataste’s vipers have a sloppy zigzag. They tend to be olive as well, rather than stony grey. This is one of the mildest true vipers in Europe.
Compared to Lataste’s viper, Baskian vipers are found less in rock fields. They prefer thickets on the borders of forests, thickets near agricultural areas, and grassy meadows. Baskian vipers are especially common in the Cantabrian mountains, where they can be very abundant in certain spots. Baskian vipers reach altitudes of 1900 metres in the Cantabrian mountains, and get 85-90% of their calories from mammals.
Spain has two subspecies of this snake: Vipera seoanei seoanei and V. s. cantabrica. There’s a few more statistics floating around, as one survey analysed Spain from 1946 to 1948, and found 5.3 deaths from snakebite per death yearly. A WHO report from 1998 found that 0.6%-1.8% of snakebite victims in Spain die, while the worst month for snake bite in Spain is apparently June.
| 9 | Asp viper |
The third and final viper in Spain, controlling the northeast. This is mainly a French viper, but spills southwards over the Spanish border. This is the main viper of the Spanish Pyrenees, and it has the strongest venom of Spain’s three vipers.
One study analysed snakebites in Spain from 1965 to 1980. They found bites from all 3 species: Lataste’s vipers (125), the asp viper (80), and Baskian viper (23). 2 victims experienced neurotoxic symptoms, both of whom were asp viper victims. This included drooping eyelids, difficulty swallowing, difficulty speaking, and paralysis of the bitten extremity.
Asp vipers measure 40-80cm, and are another mammal lover, particularly enjoying the common European vole. Over 90% of their prey is mammals. Instead of complex patterns or blotches, asp vipers have numerous dark, slashing bands down their spine.
Between the three Vipera members, there’s isn’t a single region in Spain which doesn’t have one viper species. The three are neatly divided, with little overlap: Lataste’s viper in the south, asp viper in the northeast, and Vipera seoanoi in the north and northwest. One study revealed their climate preferences. Lataste’s viper likes dry, hot summers, while Vipera seoanei veers cooler, preferring an Atlantic climate of mild winters and short summers. The asp viper was inbetween the two.
| 10 | Southern smooth snake |
This harmless species is found in every region of Spain. Southern smooth snakes live in woodlands and shrubland and prey on lizards. They rarely climb trees, sticking to the ground where they can trust their instincts.
A black stripe behind the eyes is a classic sign of a southern smooth snake. Their eyes are orange with round pupils, while their tongue is oily black. Southern smooth snakes can be found on roads through forests in Spain, as they’re attracted towards rocks, probably because they retain heat well. Fossils of this snake have been unearthed in Cueva Victoria, a famous archaeological site where Neanderthal remains have been found. This cave also contained montpellier snake and viperine water snake fossils.
Southern smooth snakes generally avoid human-inhabited areas, but might appear on the garden tiles of a village home. Southern smooth snakes reach a maximum of 62cm. Although nowhere close to endangered (“least concern” from IUCN), they’re under threat in certain localities from habitat destruction. If the whole of Spain became a giant city, then the false smooth snake would disappear, while the montpellier snake might survive.