The smooth snake (Coronella austriaca ) is a species of non-venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is found in northern and central Europe, but also as far east as northern Iran. The Reptile Database recognizes two subspecies as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies described here.
The Smooth snake is a species of non-venomous snake found in Europe and in Western Asia. It has a brown, grey, or reddish ground color with two rows of small, rather indistinct dark spots running down the back towards the tail. In some cases, each pair of spots may be united toward the neck area, forming a series of cross-bars over the back. There is also a very indistinct series of dark spots running along each of the flanks. These four series of spots along the body overlay four parallel, rather shadowy stripes that also run down the back and flanks. On the top of the head is a dark marking which is often in the shape of a crown, giving rise to the generic name of this snake Coronella (which means coronet). A relatively thick dark stripe extends from each nostril, through the eye, and along the side of the head to a little beyond the neck. The upper labials are whitish, greyish-white, or light brown, sometimes with darker spots. The tongue is reddish-brown or dark red in color.
Smooth snakes are found from the south of England through France and the Low Countries to northern Spain and Portugal, Germany, Norway and Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Sicily (but not in Corsica or Sardinia), the western Balkans and Greece, and European Russia. In Asia, they are found from Turkey to Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia and northern Iran. Smooth snakes live in coniferous and mixed woodlands, rocky areas, shrubland, grasslands, open areas with sparse vegetation, and in Britain they are restricted to heathland and moorland habitats.
Smooth snakes are terrestrial and spend most of the time on the ground and only sometimes may climb up into low shrubs. They are solitary and very secretive creatures that prefer to stay hidden in rock crevices, leaf litter, vegetation, under stones, in holes under the ground, and even rarely bask in the open areas. When threatened they rely on their camouflage hoping to stay undetected but if caught these snakes won't hesitate to bite. Smooth snakes are diurnal and hunt their prey during daylight hours using their acute sight. They typically subdue larger prey by constriction, although unlike true constrictors they do not kill by this method. During cold months of the year, Smooth snakes hibernate underground in burrows abandoned by mammals; the period of hibernation varies with location but typically lasts until March or April.
Smooth snakes are carnivores. They feed on smaller reptiles such as lizards, worms, and young snakes. They will also eat small rodents and fledgling birds.
Smooth snakes start to breed in late March-April when they emerge after hibernation. Females are ovoviviparous, meaning that snakelets hatch out of eggs internally and are born live. They give birth to 4-15 fully-developed young that usually stay together for the first few days, often near their mother. After that snakelets disperse and become reproductively mature at 4 years of age.
The main threat to Smooth snakes is habitat loss mainly due to fragmentation, agricultural expansion, uncontrolled fires, and shortage of breeding sites. In some areas, these snakes are threatened by climate change and the isolation of populations. They are also sometimes killed by people who confuse them with venomous vipers.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Smooth snake total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.
