grass snake

Olive-green, grey or brownish non-venomous snake Natrix natrix found near water in lowland areas with woodland. They are about 80 cm/32 in long and feed mainly on frogs, toads, and newts, which they hunt in the water. They are the largest British reptiles. There is also a grass snake in the USA.

The female lays 10–40 eggs within a pile of rotting vegetation, where they are incubated by the heat generated by the rotting process. Eggs are elongated, white, leathery, and about 3 cm/1.2 in long.