---
title: "What the sources say about the Common European Adder | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "50 claims from the Common European Adder profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/common-european-adder-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/common-european-adder/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Common European Adder (*Vipera berus*)

> 50 claims from the Common European Adder profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Common European Adder](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/common-european-adder/)

## Vipera berus. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Vipera_berus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Woodlands, moorlands, heathlands and wetlands | Adders can live in woodlands, moorlands, heathlands, and wetlands. (note: stats.habitat) |
| Small mammals such as voles, shrews and mice, plus small lizards, birds and frogs | including small mammals such as voles (Arvicolinae), shrews (Soricidae), and mice (Murinae), as well as small lizards, birds, and frogs (note: stats.diet) |
| Hinged fangs that fold against the roof of the mouth and inject venom | have hinged fangs used to inject venom into their prey. Hinged fangs fold at the base to lie against the roof of the mouth. (note: stats.superpower) |
| A newborn adder is about 16 to 18 centimeters long. | At birth, Vipera berus individuals measure approximately 16 to 18 cm long. (note: body) |
| some can grow as long as 80 | can grow as long as 80 cm (note: body; 'the longest' paraphrases 'as long as') |
| Males generally weigh 50 to 70 grams, and females 80 to 100 grams. | The mass of male adders generally ranges from 50 to 70 grams, while the mass of females ranges from 80 to 100 grams. (note: body) |
| Adders hunt voles, shrews, mice, small lizards, birds and frogs. | including small mammals such as voles (Arvicolinae), shrews (Soricidae), and mice (Murinae), as well as small lizards, birds, and frogs (note: body) |
| They have hinged fangs, which fold against the roof of the mouth and inject venom. | have hinged fangs used to inject venom into their prey. Hinged fangs fold at the base to lie against the roof of the mouth. (note: body) |
| 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". | When two adders fight, both raise their bodies into the air and intertwine themselves in an attempt to wrestle one another to the ground. This method of fighting is known as the "dance of the adders". (note: body) |
| Voles, shrews and mice are on the menu, along with small lizards, birds and frogs. | including small mammals such as voles (Arvicolinae), shrews (Soricidae), and mice (Murinae), as well as small lizards, birds, and frogs (note: FAQ 3) |
| One method is to wait in one place for prey to pass by, then strike out and inject venom. | Adders wait in one place for prey to pass by so they can strike out, using fangs to inject their prey with enough venom to be fatal. (note: FAQ 3) |
| Another is to go looking for food. | The second technique involves actively seeking out prey. (note: FAQ 3) |
| 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 | When two adders fight, both raise their bodies into the air and intertwine themselves in an attempt to wrestle one another to the ground. This method of fighting is known as the "dance of the adders". (note: vibe.reason) |

## Adder (Vipera berus). Amphibian and Reptile Conservation.

https://www.arc-trust.org/adder

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A zigzag-backed viper | The adder is easily recognised by a dark, continuous 'zig-zag' stripe along its back. (note: tagline) |
| The common European adder, Vipera berus, is a rather stocky viper. | have rather a stocky appearance (note: body; viper per the family named in ARC 'most northerly member of the viper family') |
| A dark, continuous zig-zag stripe runs along its back, with a row of dark spots down each side. | a dark, continuous 'zig-zag' stripe along its back. There is also a row of dark spots along each side. (note: body) |
| The background color varies from grey-white in males to shades of brown or copper in females. | The background colour varies from grey-white in the male to shades of brown or copper in the female. (note: body; US spelling) |
| Adders typically live 5 to 10 years. | Adders typically live to 5-10 years. (note: body) |
| In Britain, adders like open habitats such as heathland, moorland, open woodland and sea cliffs. | Adders like open habitats such as heathland, moorland, open woodland and sea cliffs (note: body; ARC is a British page: its habitat line follows 'found throughout Britain') |
| They are not found in Ireland. | It is not found in Ireland. (note: body) |
| In Britain, adders hibernate from around October to February, depending on local conditions. | They hibernate from around October to February, depending on local conditions. (note: body; ARC is a British page, and its qualifier is restored) |
| but its bites are very rarely fatal. | adder bites to humans or dogs are very rarely fatal (note: body) |
| Amphibian and Reptile Conservation counts only around ten recorded deaths from adder bite in the last 100 years | There are only around ten recorded cases of death from adder bite in the last 100 years (note: body; the source's own 'only') |
| says most bites happen when the snake has been disturbed or deliberately antagonised. | most bites occur when the snake has been disturbed or deliberately antagonised (note: body) |
| A bite is potentially serious, though. | Though potentially serious, adder bites to humans or dogs are very rarely fatal (note: body) |
| Adders are protected by law in Great Britain, where it is illegal to intentionally kill or injure one. | Adders are protected by law in Great Britain. It is illegal to intentionally kill or injure adders (note: body) |
| Typically five to ten years, according to Amphibian and Reptile Conservation. | Adders typically live to 5-10 years. (note: FAQ 4; reworded so it no longer copies the body sentence) |
| dangerLevel: Deadly | There are only around ten recorded cases of death from adder bite in the last 100 years (note: stats.dangerLevel; capability reading (#1273)) |

## AnAge entry for Vipera berus. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Vipera_berus

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The AnAge database lists a captive record of 19 years. | Maximum longevity 19 years (captivity) (note: body) |
| weightKg: 0.279 | Adult weight 279 g (note: battleStats.weightKg; AnAge average. ADW gives 50 to 100 g; both put it under Medium, which the name guess gave) |

## Owens et al. (2025). The genome sequence of the common adder, Vipera berus (Linnaeus, 1758). Wellcome Open Research.

https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.23470.2

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| is the only snake north of the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia | is the only snake to occur north of the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia (note: tagline; same figure in the 2025 genome paper) |
| lives from Britain to the Pacific | It ranges from the United Kingdom, where it is the only venomous snake species, across Eurasia to the Pacific Ocean (note: tagline) |
| from the United Kingdom across Eurasia to the Pacific Ocean | It ranges from the United Kingdom, where it is the only venomous snake species, across Eurasia to the Pacific Ocean (note: stats.habitat) |
| Adults typically reach about 50 to 60 centimeters | The species typically attains an adult length of approximately 50–60 cm (note: body) |
| From Britain to the Pacific | It ranges from the United Kingdom, where it is the only venomous snake species, across Eurasia to the Pacific Ocean (note: heading) |
| Adders live across Eurasia, from the United Kingdom to the Pacific Ocean. | It ranges from the United Kingdom, where it is the only venomous snake species, across Eurasia to the Pacific Ocean (note: body) |
| In Scandinavia, the adder is the only snake found north of the Arctic Circle. | is the only snake to occur north of the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia (note: body) |
| The adder is the only venomous snake in the United Kingdom | It ranges from the United Kingdom, where it is the only venomous snake species (note: body) |
| Bites and the future | as few as 14 deaths in the last 150 years (note: heading) |
| Yes. A genome paper on the adder names it as the only venomous snake species in the United Kingdom. | It ranges from the United Kingdom, where it is the only venomous snake species (note: FAQ 1) |
| 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. | Adder bites are uncommon with an estimated 50 to 100 bites occurring annually in the UK ( Coulson et al. , 2013 ) and as few as 14 deaths in the last 150 years (note: FAQ 2) |
| as few as 14 in 150 years | as few as 14 deaths in the last 150 years (note: FAQ 2) |

## 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.

https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2004.2894

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The zigzag test | models bearing the characteristic zigzag band of the adder (Vipera berus) are attacked significantly less frequently than plain models (note: heading) |
| In a field test, birds made 813 attacks on 12,636 Plasticine snake models. | the analysis of 813 avian attacks on 12,636 Plasticine snake models in the field (note: blockquote) |
| Models with the adder's zigzag band were attacked significantly less often than plain ones. | models bearing the characteristic zigzag band of the adder (Vipera berus) are attacked significantly less frequently than plain models (note: blockquote) |

## Karlson-Stiber, Salmonson & Persson (2006). A nationwide study of Vipera berus bites during one year: epidemiology and morbidity of 231 cases. Clinical Toxicology.

https://doi.org/10.1080/15563650500394597

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In Sweden in 1995, 231 people were treated in hospital for adder bites | A total of 231 inpatients were treated for V. berus bites in Sweden in 1995. (note: body) |
| 13 percent of them had severe envenomation. | Maximum severity of envenomation was none in 11%, minor in 47%, moderate in 29%, and severe in 13% of the cases. (note: body) |

## Gardner et al. (2019). Make the Adder Count: population trends from a citizen science survey of UK adders. Herpetological Journal.

https://doi.org/10.33256/hj29.1.5770

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| 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. | Make the Adder Count began in 2005 as a national surveillance programme collecting standardised counts of adders lying-out after emerging from hibernation. 260 sites have contributed data, confirming a significant decline, on average, across sites with small populations (note: body; Gardner et al. 2019, so the finding is dated by the reference) |

## Bowles et al. (2024). Vipera berus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T47756146A215261275.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2024-1.rlts.t47756146a215261275.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: stats.conservationStatus; GBIF copy of the Red List, taxon 47756146 (checked against the taxon id in the DOI)) |
| The IUCN Red List rates the species Least Concern. | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: body) |