It was another first for me, a False Smooth Snake at the house. We had been painting around the front of the house today and dug a small trench to get paint to the bottom of a wall. The snake was using this trench to get to the rear garden.
It was just turning dark (dusk is the time the False Smooth Snakes hunt) and I only had my mobile to hand, so not great photos.
The False Smooth Snake (Macroprotodon cucullatus) is so-called due to its similar appearance to the Southern Smooth Snake. It’s a small snake that grows to just around 50cm long, this one was almost this length, perhaps a little shorter. They are one of Portugal’s poisonous species, however, due to its size and it’s rear positioned fangs there is very little chance of being bitten and injected with venom. As already mentioned, they come out at night and prey on Lizards and Geckos in which the venom is used to poison.
The can be found across most of North Africa, Italy, Southern Spain and of course here in Portugal.