WATERSNAKES AND ALLIES
Physical Characteristics - The head is clearly set off from the neck. The body is slender in the male and somehwhat stouter in the female. The scales of the body are strongly keeled. The eyes are large, and the pupils round. The coloration and the markings vary considerably. The back is noticeably darker than the side and may be any shade of gray, yellow or green. A band of lozenge-shaped to round blotches runs down the back often combining into a zigzag patterns similar to that seen on the Common Viper.
Length - Rarely over 3 feet.
Distribution and behavior - The Viperine snake if found in southwestern Switzerland, northwestern Italy, southern France, on Sardinia, the Balearic Islands, the Iles-d'Hyeres, the Pyrenean peninsula, and in northwestern Africa. It like very weedy waters and is active during the day. It spends time between rocks of sea walls, hiding in washed-up debris, under overhanging banks, and often in the network of tree roots, leaving these refuges in the moring and afternoon to bask in the sun. It likes fish and amphibians.
VIPERINE WATERSNAKE
