Viperine Snake
Natrix maura
Summary 2
Natrix maura is a natricine water snake of the genus Natrix. Its common name is viperine water snake or viperine snake. Despite its common names, it is not a member of the Subfamily Viperinae. This nonvenomous, semiaquatic, fish-eating snake was given its common names due to behavioural and aesthetic similarities with sympatric adder species.
Range description 3
In Europe, this species ranges from Portugal and Spain through much of France, to extreme southwestern Switzerland and northwestern Italy. In North Africa it is present in most of Morocco, northern Algeria, northern and central Tunisia and northwestern Libya. This species is also present (probably allochtonous) on the Mediterranean islands of Sardinia (Italy), Corsica (one single record) [not mapped]; natural populations are present on Iles d'Hyéres (France) and La Galite (Tunisia). It has been introduced to the islands of Menorca and Mallorca in the Balearic Islands of Spain. The species can be found from sea level up to 2,600 m asl.
Sources and Credits
- (c) José María Escolano, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/42786943@N07/4693284964
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natrix_maura
- (c) International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/18948469
