Adder: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the adder lives – recorded in 13 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Vipera berus
Group	Snakes
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	13 countries
Continents	Europe
Lifespan	10 years
Diet (main food)	vole, newt, egg, Anguis fragilis, weasel, mole, Rattus, Soricidae, bird, Anura, Caudata, house mouse
Class	Reptile
Order	Squamata
Family	Viperidae

Where does the adder live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the adder in 13 countries and territories across Europe. Wikidata gives its range as: France, United Kingdom, People's Republic of China, Russia, Germany, Estonia, Norway, Latvia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

How long does an adder live?

Wikidata records a life expectancy of 10 years for the adder.

What does an adder eat?

Wikidata lists the main food source of the adder as: vole, newt, egg, Anguis fragilis, weasel, mole, Rattus, Soricidae, bird, Anura, Caudata, house mouse.

Is the adder endangered?

The adder’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the adder?

The adder (Vipera berus) is a reptile in the order Squamata and the family Viperidae, genus Vipera. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the adder

Vipera berus, commonly known as the common European adder and the common European viper, is a species of venomous snake in the family Viperidae. The species is extremely widespread, and thus can be found throughout much of Europe, and as far as East Asia. There are three recognised subspecies.

Known by a host of common names including common adder and common viper, the adder has been the subject of much folklore in Britain and other European countries. It is not regarded as especially dangerous; the snake is not aggressive and usually bites only when really provoked, stepped on, or picked up. Bites can be very painful, but are rarely fatal. The specific name, berus, is Neo-Latin and was at one time used to refer to a snake, possibly the grass snake, Natrix natrix.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Adder (revision 1375675364), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q192056 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).