Yesterday I decided to walk into the village (São Marcos da Serra) to participate in a few cold beverages at the Feira do Folar (3 day Easter Festival).
The sun was shining and it was a warm day. I looked down just in time to stop myself treading on this Tiny Viperine snake enjoying the warm road surface. It was well camouflaged and at first I thought it was dead, but then I saw it´s tongue pop out.
When I picked the coin back up, it coiled like a Viper ready to strike which backed up my thoughts of being a Viperine. I did laugh as it was supposed to be threatening, but actually just looked even cuter! In adult life, they can grow up to 85cm, so it has a lot of eating to do to get to that size!
The Viperine is not actually a Viper and has no venom. It spends a lot of time in water and eats aquatic life including Frogs and Toads. If threatened can strike repeatedly like a Viper but doesn’t bite. The photos were taken on my mobile.
