V. berus berus black juvenile

[Berislav Horvatic]

It happens very rarely, but it does happen:

a Vipera berus berus juvenile
12 July 2014
Total body length 26 cm (properly measured!), so it can't be anything else but
a last year's baby, cca. 11 months old.
Found in a mountin valley in Gorski Kotar / Kapela, Croatia, at 1030 m a.s.l.

For both smokers (who most probably never took the trouble) and nonsmokers (who
never would), the dimensions of the cigarette: length 8.4 cm, diameter 8 mm.

Two additional photos for those who simply can not stand seeing a cigarette
alongside a beautiful animal:

(And, please, no witty comments such as "Smoking kills, adders don't!",
because it's not the point here...)

[Ruggero M.]

Hi... you write: "it happens very rarely": you meant black newborns or black berus?

Black berus become normally black growing older or they are usually already black from birth?


It's an interesting question, in my opinion. Black H.viridiflavus normally become black growing older, as far as I know, but I have once seen a small snake not far from where I live in norhern Italy, which could have been a baby viridiflavus (but also a baby Natrix natrix...), which was totally black.

So my question: melanistic specimens can be already black from birth, even if normally the species they belong tends to become black with age?

[Mario Schweiger]

Yes, but it is different from population to population.
I know pops, berus is born brown and turns black with age, but I also know a few pops (but much rarer), where babies are born already black.

[Ruggero M.]

Yes, but it is different from population to population.
I know pops, berus is born brown and turns black with age, but I also know a few pops (but much rarer), where babies are born already black.

Thanks Mario: it would be interesting to know if this (I mean black babies) may happen also in other species (H.viridiflavus). It's many years that I'm asking myself about that slender small black colubrid I saw for a few seconds when I was a boy...

[Mario Schweiger]

Thanks Mario: it would be interesting to know if this (I mean black babies) may happen also in other species (H.viridiflavus). It's many years that I'm asking myself about that slender small black colubrid I saw for a few seconds when I was a boy...

I have seen quite dark H.v. carbonarius babies (but far away from black) on Krk island, but never a black youngster.
Natrix natrix might hatch already black (or at least nearly black). I have seen youngsters, born in the year before on Krk island (entire black, with light collar and/or light stripes also)

[Ruggero M.]

Thanks again!

[Martti Niskanen]

But most importantly: Do they all smoke?

[Berislav Horvatic]

Hi... you write: "it happens very rarely": you meant black newborns or black berus?
Black berus become normally black growing older or they are usually already black from birth?

Of course I meant black V. berus juveniles, that is what happens very rarely. In this species almost
all babies are born "normally" coloured, and it takes about three years for some of them to become
black, that is, the process lasts till reaching early adulthood.

... but I also know a few pops (but much rarer), where babies are born already black.

Most of them, or just some of them?

[Ruggero M.]

Ok thanks Berislav: I thought it was so, but it could also have been that black berus in general are rare in Croatia or in that particular place...

[Berislav Horvatic]

Ok thanks Berislav: I thought it was so, but it could also have been that black berus in general are rare in Croatia or in that particular place...

On the contrary, they are quite abundant. If you look at some earlier threads, you'll find many pictures of them.
So many, that Mario once said "Ah, Bero, you and your black worms..."

Photo: Mladen Zadravec, 27 April 2013, in the environs of Zagreb

See e.g. viewtopic.php?f=27&t=1803