Ecdysis

I set out to photograph some spiders I found yesterday but it turned into a reptilian sort of day instead: I spotted two lizards and an adder basking in the sun. The snake uncoiled and slid into the bushes before I could reach for my camera but when I checked its sunbed I found its crumpled skin - not the result of sunburn but the residue of the regular process of shedding, or sloughing, that snakes and other reptiles perform. (The technical term is ecdysis so I have garnered a new word as well.)

After a period when the snake become milky in appearance (due to liquid lubrication forming between the skin layers) the old skin cuticle loosens and ruptures at the snout; then, as the snake wriggles and slithers, the entire surface layer peels back like a starlet's stocking to reveal the fresh clear pattern of the new skin. The discarded cuticle is damp and fragile like a cobweb but complete: these filmy, reticulated sheaths fascinate me because if you are careful you can unfurl them to see that the caps, called spectacles, that covered the eyes are there along with all the rest of the peel.

I brought the skin home to examine and photograph. The material was shrinking as it dried out so I tried various way to capture its appearance. Here I've pinned it against the window pane and then I realized that, upside down, it looks like a different sort of creature, almost dragonish in appearance.

I've put an alternative shot here in which I used an HDR effect to emphasize the contrast between the close, intricate reticulations that camouflage the adder's upper surface and the larger, smoother scales of the slithery underside.

The entire length of the dry skin is about 27 cm (10 and a half inches) so the live snake must have been a bit longer. Adders are very shy and not at all aggressive unless aggravated. Left alone they will rapidly leave the scene but if meddled with or trodden on they may bite. There have been several instances locally this year - southwest Wales is regarded as an adder hotspot. The bites, though painful, are not usually dangerous: fear and panic are more likely to have adverse effects.

Son Huw's first blip earlier this month shows some live snakes a little further down the coast.

Snake shedding video (Rather long and with annoying bird noises but a short snatch gives the idea.)