Question on Grass snake mating
Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2012 2:13 pm
Last weekend (24.03.2012) while on a walk with my girlfriend near London, I saw two grass snakes mating. They were coiled next to the footpath with the female on top and the male underneath her. Only the female was able to see us and after a couple of minutes she got fed up with us standing there and watching, so she retreated in the vegetation draging the still attached oblivious male with her. I've never seen Grass snakes mating that early in the year but that's due to the nice weather conditions I guess. Usually when Grass snakes mate they form that ball of many males around one female which I'm sure most of you are familiar with. However these snakes were only two and no other males anywhere near them. So my question is - Is there any reason for that mating ball of males and one female other than that they all happened to be in the same place = does this help the female in anyway to select the most fit male or is it just a matter of who will reach the female first?