Dancing snakes

Let’s first find one

Almost every year, as the weather started to warm up, we would go in search of adders. And almost every year, we were disappointed. Long walks in the areas of the Veluwe often led to nothing. However, we weren't easily discouraged, so we decided to venture out again this year. Would we be lucky this time? We certainly hoped so.

 This year, Greg and his father had explored a specific area and had the fortune of spotting an adder. So, on a beautiful Saturday morning, we set out early together. It was still a bit chilly when we arrived, indicating that there wouldn't be many active adders yet. Nonetheless, we embarked on a long walk, choosing an area where the early sunrays seemed to warm the ground.

 Adders are well camouflaged, and we probably passed a few without noticing them. But eventually... was that one? It certainly was. I (Jacobine) had spotted my first adder in the wild ever! She was quite large, definitely a female. She was also moving slowly, not yet warmed up enough to glide swiftly through the grass. But it was an adder!

Stunning spectacle

We continued our walk and soon spotted more of them. This area seemed perfect for these creatures! Around 11 o'clock, we reached an area with a sort of embankment. The sun shone brightly on our side, and we quickly noticed several snakes. We were even fortunate enough to witness a mating pair!

Suddenly, another male approached the mating couple. This promised to be interesting. Would they fight over the female? The first male noticed the arrival of his rival and left the female to assess the newcomer's strength. Soon, another male joined them, making it three snakes measuring each other’s strength. They made twisting movements, attempting to push each other to the ground—a phenomenon known as the snake dance. Wow, it was truly extraordinary!

Seeing two males "dance" was already quite remarkable, but three?! We enjoyed the spectacle and desperately tried to focus our cameras on these incredibly swift creatures. It was quite a challenge, especially with a growing crowd gathering around to witness this spectacle. Eventually, one of the intruders grew exhausted and slithered away to seek another partner. The remaining two continued their battle for a long time until, eventually, even the intruder grew weary and decided to depart. The first male was now left alone to continue mating with "his" female. But where had she gone? She had vanished!

We hoped that this male would find her again, after fighting so fiercely for her. Before we could find out, we decided to leave, having immensely enjoyed this extraordinary moment. Patience is truly rewarded. Sometimes it means many fruitless expeditions, but ultimately, everything will turn out fine.

Fighting adders

Only two left

Basking adder