Adders, grass snakes, and smooth snakes are the only three species of snakes you can find in the wild in the UK, but the adder is the only native venomous snake. The snake is not considered to be particularly aggressive: it usually only bites when attacked or picked up. However, its bite can be quite painful and it will only use its venom as a last means of defence and this is usually if they are caught or trodden on.
Can the venom kill? Well, yes. However, before you start panicking, bees and wasps have actually killed 60x the number of people in England and Wales than adders. That said, they should still be approached with caution and bites should be taken extremely seriously.
Here are some facts: The 10 UK snake bite statistics and facts According to PetKeen , these are the following facts: There are only three species of snakes found in the wild in the UK. The adder (Vipera berus) is the only venomous native snake in the UK. Bees and wasps are more dangerous than snakes in the UK.
The last recorded death in the UK from a snakebite was in 1972. 14 people have died from adder bites in the past 145 years. About 100 adder bites are reported in the UK each year, with most between February and October.
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