There have only been 14 known deaths since 1876 in Britain. Victims say that the bites are incredibly painful but aren’t a threat for most adults. Their bites are somewhat common as they are so widely distributed, but most of the time, they are the result of a human reaching into their resting place without knowing they are there.Ī bite is dangerous enough that you should seek medical treatment, but people rarely, if ever, die from it. When compared to other snakes, however, they aren’t particularly dangerous to humans. Are European adders dangerous?Īs their name would suggest, European vipers are members of the Vipera genus and are venomous. In colder places like Sweden, they are known to hibernate for up to nine months out of the year. In Great Britain, for example, they hibernate up to 180 days of the year. In warmer climates, the hibernation periods for the adder are either reduced or nonexistent. Their most northerly ranges include Norway, Finland, and Russia. Their most southerly range extends into Greece. They can be found across most of the European continent, from Great Britain all the way west into Russia. Where does the European adder live? European adders can be found across the European continent and far north into Siberia.Įuropean adders are the most northerly snakes in the world. There have been reports of some hibernaculum containing over 100 snakes. Once an adder has found a hibernaculum, the next step is to get as many snakes in there as can fit! Just like humans can congregate in order to warm each other up, snakes can do something similar.
These special burrows are known as hibernacula. Most European adders use old mammal burrows or crayfish holes to get as deep as possible. Their goal is to get below the frost line in the ground where the temperature stays above freezing. The effect is a reduced heart rate, reduced breathing, and little to no digestion.Įuropean adders are able to use this tactic to survive in the cold. During this time, they reduce their body’s metabolic rate to use less energy. Bears, prairie dogs, and many more animals will head underground during the winter. Hibernation is a practice that many animals across the world utilize to survive extreme weather conditions. There are two primary ways that the European adder can survive the frigid temps: hibernation and group energy conservation.
Arctic circle menu plus#
Let’s take a look at how they can do this, plus learn a little more about these venomous arctic snakes! How does the European adder survive the extreme cold? European adders survive the cold by hibernating deep in the earth with other snakes to keep warm. Even with all the evolutionary cards stacked against them, European adders can carve out a niche across the continent! They make their homes in some “snake-hostile” places, making them one of nature’s great survivors.