Thinkgrasssnake JE

What is Thinkgrasssnake JE?

ThinkGrassSnake is currently supporting a grass snake telemetry (radio tracking) project, surveying grass snakes and their habitat preferences. This will enable us to develop a further understanding of their behaviour and activity and broaden our knowledge of their ranges and daily habits. Please share your sightings to aid the conservation of Jersey’s rarest reptile.

How can you help?

Share your sightings of grass snakes that you find with a date, approximate time, and location. Submit your sighting record: ThinkgrasssnakeJE - record entry form

You can also submit active sightings directly to Sam on Mob:  07748595527, this will allow him to visit the site to take habitat data and view the snake’s viability for the telemetry project.

Remember - please do not disturb a grass snake at any point as they are under protection of the Wildlife (Jersey) Law 2021. Thank You!

Jersey's grass snakes

The barred grass snake (Natrix helvetica) is Jersey’s rarest and most elusive reptile. It is also Jersey’s only snake species and does not occur elsewhere in the Channel Islands. This non-venomous snake can grow up to a metre long, with an olive green or brown body with black bars along it and a yellow collar on the neck. They are distributed in the west of the island, inhabiting grassland, wetland, dune and heathland areas, close to water. They can be seen favouring “edge” habitat conditions, such as field margins, woodland borders and on the edge of water bodies, as this provides protection from predators, but also opportunities for thermoregulation.

Grass snakes are semi-aquatic, predominantly feeding on amphibians, though they have been known to eat small mammals and invertebrates depending on food availability. Once a snake has fed, they will rarely move until their prey has been digested and may only feed once every two months.

More information

If you would like to learn more about ‘ThinkGrassSnake‘ please visit: Grass snake facts (gov.je)