Barred Grass Snake Hatchling
Natrix helvetica (hatchling)
Newly hatched barred grass snakes emerge from warm egg-laying sites such as compost heaps, manure piles, and rotting vegetation. They keep to damp cover near ponds, ditches, and rough grassland, where they hunt tiny tadpoles, newts, and small invertebrates. At this size they rely heavily on stillness, quick escape, hissing, and foul musk rather than biting. A hatchling already shows the pale neck collar and dark barring that help identify the species.
- Type
- Water
- Conservation status
- LC
Growth chain
- Barred Grass Snake Hatchling
- ?
- Barred Grass Snake