Honorable Mention: Snake in the Grass

Snake in the Grass
2006 Honorable Mention
Confirmed True by Darwin

A biting story from Scotland. (Scotland) A hiker in Scotland picked up a harmless grass snake so his brother could take a picture. Just as he reached for it, a black adder slithered into view, so he grabbed that one, too. The adder is Britain's only venomous snake. Both serpents sank their fangs into the 44-year-old, who responded with serious anaphylactic shock. He gradually and painfully recovered in the hospital. His excuse for his rash act? He didn't think venomous snakes inhabited Scotland.

Leah writes, "Adders are the only venomous snakes in the wild in Britain. Black adders are melanistic adders, not a species in their own right. Adders are normally greenish, with a black diamond pattern along their backs." An image of both adders coiled together.

Reader Comments:
"This happened on Arran. I've known since I was a kid that there were poisonous snakes on Arran."

Snake in the Grass 2006 Honorable Mention Confirmed True by Darwin

Snake in the Grass
2006 Honorable Mention
Confirmed True by Darwin