A national park ranger has captured the rare sight of an adder taking a dip in an Angus river.
Tony Seivwright was on the banks of a burn near Tarfside as the sun shone this week.
He is a seasonal ranger at the Cairngorms National Park, which stretches south into Glen Esk.
And he was stunned to catch sight of Britain’s only venomous snake gliding through the glinting water.
🚨AMAZING FOOTAGE ALERT🚨Seasonal Ranger Tony was delighted to capture this rare video of an Adder swimming in a stream near Tarfside #cairngormstogether@cairngormsnews @CNPnature @WildlifeMag @BBCSpringwatch@SCRAOnline pic.twitter.com/aDbTGtECco
— Cairngorms National Park Authority Rangers (@CNPARangers) April 26, 2022
Adders usually hibernate from October to March.
But when the mercury rises they enjoy basking on logs or warm rocks.
Tony’s clip of the snake has become a Twitter hit.
Tarfside is north of Edzell and the River North Esk runs through the glen.
It’s a hotspot for visitors in the summer months.
And it sits in the UK’s largest national park.
Cairngorms National Park was established in 2003 and covers more than 1,700 square miles.
Adder myths
The adder is a greyish/brown snake with a distinctive dark zig-zag pattern on its back, and red eyes.
They can grow to around two-and-a-half feet long and live for 15 years.
And although it is venomous, the adder’s bite is not normally dangerous to adults.
It can lead to a painful inflammation, but experts says it’s really only dangerous to the young, ill or old.
And the species is even more wary of humans than most walkers are at the sight of one in the hills.
Adders usually slither quickly off into the undergrowth if approached.
Bites are normally a reaction to being stood on or picked up.
Instead they use their venom to immobile prey such as small mammals like mice or voles, nestlings and lizards.
