{"id":33049,"date":"2023-10-27T17:35:13","date_gmt":"2023-10-27T16:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4132ed1d-4e54-4f5e-adbb-b6d5b0521794"},"modified":"2023-11-01T11:35:39","modified_gmt":"2023-11-01T10:35:39","slug":"are-there-any-snakes-in-ireland-if-not-why-not","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/are-there-any-snakes-in-ireland-if-not-why-not\/","title":{"rendered":"Are there any snakes in Ireland? If not why not?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We take a look at why Ireland is, and has always been, snake-free <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Friday, 27 October 2023 at 16:35 PM<\/p>

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Ireland is one of only a few countries in the world that has no snakes. <\/strong><\/p>

Why aren’t there snakes in Ireland?<\/h2>

Much of Britain and Ireland\u2019s flora and fauna arrived here after the last ice age<\/a>.<\/p>

As the glaciers retreated about 10,000 years ago, animals and plants were able to recolonise from mainland Europe, to which Britain was connected by a land bridge. <\/p>

The Irish Sea, though, proved too big an obstacle for the three British species of snake<\/a> \u2013 grass snake<\/a>, smooth snake<\/a> and adder<\/a> \u2013 that had made it to Britain, so Ireland remained snake-free. Another reptile did make it though, and is now Ireland’s only reptile: the common lizard<\/a>. Looks like they were a little quicker off the mark than the snakes….<\/p>

So, although it makes a great story, the legend of St. Patrick driving all of Ireland\u2019s\u00a0snakes\u00a0into the sea is just a myth, as they were never there in the first place. <\/p>