This beautiful snake, or one of its parents, has been living in and around our swimming pool pump for many years now.
The electrician in fact, did not want to return to fix the pool lights that were causing a short circuit, after he caught sight of the disappearing snake last year. It took me over a year to make him return and he only did so after I promised several times to make sure there would not be any snake in the area.
I did not see Mr. or Mrs snake this spring, but today when opening the pool pump cover, there it was.
In the first picture the snake did not yet notice me. In the second one you see the head appearing from under the pump (an odd habit to sleep with your head under the running pool pump). A few seconds later there was no trace of the animal.
By the way, these snakes are not dangerous at all!
I appreciate your concern for nature and I’d be the first to want to protect your snake…. but that looks like a Viper to me and they can bite you and be venomous enough to require hospital treatment so do take care!
There’s another type – the Grass Snake – which is not a true snake, more of a lizard (the young ones have small vestigial legs). Those don’t have that scaly pattern and the diamond shaped head. We see a lot them around us in the Todi countryside.
Stay safe!
Hi Marc, thanks for your concern, but this is certainly not a viper and really is innocent. Vipers are never this long and have a different colour and different shape of the head. Here you only see part of the head which is not much wider than the body.
I have been living in the Umbrian countryside since 2001 and so far have never seen a viper.
The kind of snake you refer to is very short and greyish. There are ‘Glass snake’ and not ‘grass snake’. There are not many here but I have seen them around. Snakes love them!
Thanks for correcting me. I see now that the viper has zig-markings, which yours doesn’t. Best to be on the safe side though eh?!
Absolutely! Excellent idea to always keep a good distance from any snake!
It is not a viper at all. It is a harmless Green Western Whip Snake, very common throughout most of Italy. These non venomous snakes help to keep the environment clean of rodents and other pests, do dont destroy it. It’s scientific name is Hierophis Viridiflavus.
yes, I agree.
2013 = Italian year of the snake! Never seen so many as this year…
Interesting, last year I saw many more, even made a video of mating snakes!
I’ve seen that movie. Last year I only saw 2 or 3 snakes. This half year I have seen 6 or 7 including a vipera trying to get into my house…
quite a big one. eeeuw. Would not like to have it in my place.