Basking on a Dull Day

Wildlife Wednesdays #5

Adder - Vipera berus

Adders will bask even when the sun is occluded by thick cloud as part of their thermoregulatory regime, though they tend to bunch up into tighter coils as the amount of solar radiation decreases.

Unlike most other European snakes, male and female adders can usually be distinguished by their scale colour - males being greyish with black markings while females are brownish with dark brown markings. However, both sexes show very varied colouration. The female above looking really quite grey,  while males often have greyish, rather than black markings. Below is a male adder for reference.