Adder  (Vipera berus)

In Britain the adder has a rather patchy distribution. It is more numerous in southern England than the north, is not common in the Midlands, but is fairly numerous in west Wales and southwest England. It is widespread in Scotland but is absent from the Outer Hebrides, the Central Lowlands and the Northern Isles (3). The adder has the widest global distribution of all terrestrial snakes; it is found from Scandinavia to central France, reaching as far east as the Pacific coast of Russia, and is the only snake to occur in the Arctic Circle (3). It is not, however, found in Ireland (6).

Found in a range of habitats including open heathland, woodland and moors. It requires sunny glades or slopes where it can bask and dense cover in which to take shelter (7).