--- title: "Common European Adder (Vipera berus) | AnimalTracks.wiki" description: "A zigzag-backed viper that lives from Britain to the Pacific and is the only snake north of the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia." image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/common-european-adder-1.webp" published: "2026-10-12" updated: "2026-10-12" --- # Common European Adder (*Vipera berus*) > **Status**: Checked against 8 sources, listed under Sources below. > **Tagline**: A zigzag-backed viper that lives from Britain to the Pacific and is the only snake north of the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia. > **Soundtrack Vibe**: Trip-Hop & Velvet Downtempo // Gotan Project, "Santa María (del Buen Ayre)" > **Soundtrack Links**: [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/65MDo5mxRY45IHpyVkLEU5) > **Vibe Match**: When two adders fight, both raise their bodies into the air, intertwine and try to wrestle each other to the ground, a contest known as the dance of the adders. Gotan Project's Santa María sets tango, a dance of two bodies locked together, to a slow electronic beat. ## Biological Superpowers & Stats - **Taxonomy**: *Vipera berus* - **Danger Level**: Deadly - **Conservation Status**: Least Concern ([IUCN Red List](https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2024-1.rlts.t47756146a215261275.en)) - **Superpower**: Hinged fangs that fold against the roof of the mouth and inject venom - **Habitat**: Woodlands, moorlands, heathlands and wetlands, from the United Kingdom across Eurasia to the Pacific Ocean - **Diet**: Small mammals such as voles, shrews and mice, plus small lizards, birds and frogs - **Tags**: reptile, venomous, cold-tolerant, ambush-predator, carnivore ## Natural History & Behavior ## The zigzag test The common European adder, *Vipera berus*, is a rather stocky viper. A dark, continuous zig-zag stripe runs along its back, with a row of dark spots down each side. The background color varies from grey-white in males to shades of brown or copper in females. > **Zigzag test** > In a field test, birds made 813 attacks on 12,636 Plasticine snake models. Models with the adder's zigzag band were attacked significantly less often than plain ones. ## Size and lifespan A newborn adder is about 16 to 18 centimeters long. Adults typically reach about 50 to 60 centimeters, and some can grow as long as 80. Males generally weigh 50 to 70 grams, and females 80 to 100 grams. Adders typically live 5 to 10 years. The AnAge database lists a captive record of 19 years. ## From Britain to the Pacific Adders live across Eurasia, from the United Kingdom to the Pacific Ocean. In Scandinavia, the adder is the only snake found north of the Arctic Circle. In Britain, adders like open habitats such as heathland, moorland, open woodland and sea cliffs. They are not found in Ireland. Adders hunt voles, shrews, mice, small lizards, birds and frogs. They have hinged fangs, which fold against the roof of the mouth and inject venom. In Britain, adders hibernate from around October to February, depending on local conditions. When two adders fight, both raise their bodies into the air, intertwine and try to wrestle each other to the ground. This is known as the "dance of the adders". ## Bites and the future The adder is the only venomous snake in the United Kingdom, but its bites are very rarely fatal. Amphibian and Reptile Conservation counts only around ten recorded deaths from adder bite in the last 100 years, and says most bites happen when the snake has been disturbed or deliberately antagonised. A bite is potentially serious, though. In Sweden in 1995, 231 people were treated in hospital for adder bites, and 13 percent of them had severe envenomation. The IUCN Red List rates the species Least Concern. Even so, data from 260 sites in Make the Adder Count, a UK survey begun in 2005, confirmed a significant decline, on average, across sites with small populations. Adders are protected by law in Great Britain, where it is illegal to intentionally kill or injure one. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Is the adder the only venomous snake in Britain? Yes. A genome paper on the adder names it as the only venomous snake species in the United Kingdom. *(Source: [Owens et al. 2025]())* ### Do adder bites kill people? Very rarely. A genome paper puts UK bites at an estimated 50 to 100 a year, and the deaths at as few as 14 in 150 years. *(Source: [Owens et al. 2025]())* ### What does an adder eat, and how does it catch it? Voles, shrews and mice are on the menu, along with small lizards, birds and frogs. One method is to wait in one place for prey to pass by, then strike out and inject venom. Another is to go looking for food. *(Source: [Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan]())* ### How long do adders live? Typically five to ten years, according to Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. *(Source: [Amphibian and Reptile Conservation]())* ## Sources 1. [Vipera berus. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.]() 2. [Adder (Vipera berus). Amphibian and Reptile Conservation.]() 3. [AnAge entry for Vipera berus. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.]() 4. [Owens et al. (2025). The genome sequence of the common adder, Vipera berus (Linnaeus, 1758). Wellcome Open Research.]() 5. [Wüster et al. (2004). Do aposematism and Batesian mimicry require bright colours? A test, using European viper markings. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences.]() 6. [Karlson-Stiber, Salmonson & Persson (2006). A nationwide study of Vipera berus bites during one year: epidemiology and morbidity of 231 cases. Clinical Toxicology.]() 7. [Gardner et al. (2019). Make the Adder Count: population trends from a citizen science survey of UK adders. Herpetological Journal.]() 8. [Bowles et al. (2024). Vipera berus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T47756146A215261275.]() *Published October 12, 2026. 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