# Why are there no snakes now in Ireland? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 2, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741 "2009-07-02T20:58:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![the\_first\_supraliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f475e1/32.png) [@the\_first\_supraliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_first_supraliminal)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/1 "2009-07-02T20:58:44Z")
No, nobody believes that St. Pat drove them out, and we know why they weren’t there prior to human habitation. But that leaves the question, “Why aren’t they there now?” They exist in zoos and as pets on the island, apparently. Yet, snakes have been accidentally introduced into other islands, such as Mauritius, hiding in cargo ships. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/2 "2009-07-02T21:46:39Z")
[Why Ireland Has No Snakes](http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/NewsEvents/irelandsnakes.cfm). The short answer, from the article: > [@](#): > > There are no snakes in Ireland for the simple reason that they can’t get there. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/3 "2009-07-02T22:07:27Z")
Are there snakes in England? ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/4 "2009-07-02T22:12:42Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > Are there snakes in England? Yep. We have adders, grass snakes, and smooth snakes. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/5 "2009-07-02T22:32:48Z")
I would think Ireland and England both have similar weather and geology, so why would Ireland be different re: snakes? ---
**Author:** ![Claire\_Beauchamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/6 "2009-07-02T23:23:24Z")
Ireland split off from what is now England/Scotland before the snakes made it that far north. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2009, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/7 "2009-07-02T23:46:26Z")
I think what the OP is asking is, “Why haven’t escaped snakes established themselves in Ireland, considering that it has a similar climate to England?” ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/8 "2009-07-03T00:07:15Z")
This is just a WAG but a very small number of introduced or escaped snakes can’t establish a viable breeding population. Once the introduced snakes die, that is the end of the line for their lineage. Hawaii has a very trivial snake population as well and it seems to be a much more suitable habitat for them. ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/9 "2009-07-03T01:22:26Z")
> [@the\_first\_supraliminal](#): > > No, nobody believes that St. Pat drove them out. . . I believe it. I also believe that St. Brendan discovered the New World before either the Vikings or Columbus. Hey, the nuns in grammar school told me. And they wouldn’t lie. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/10 "2009-07-03T01:46:04Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > I believe it. I also believe that St. Brendan discovered the New World before either the Vikings or Columbus. > > Hey, the nuns in grammar school told me. And they wouldn’t lie. Your screen name seems quite fitting. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/11 "2009-07-03T02:07:36Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > Your screen name seems quite fitting. Yours does too considering the topic you replied to. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/12 "2009-07-03T02:51:05Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > Yours does too considering the topic you replied to. So does yours; considering, um, well, er, ::stubs toe:: _Your eyes_! ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/13 "2009-07-03T02:57:30Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Hawaii has a very trivial snake population as well and it seems to be a much more suitable habitat for them. The mongoose. Britain hasn’t many (if any) snakes because the weather there is shitty (coldish, cloudy, rainy) and snakes like mucho exposure to direct sunlight, as they are reptiles. Fucking Brits. Can’t hold onto an empire, can’t support snakes…you fucking pussies! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/14 "2009-07-03T03:14:03Z")
I blame Samuel O’Jackson ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/15 "2009-07-03T03:37:44Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > So does yours; considering, um, well, er, > > ::stubs toe:: > > _Your eyes_! _bats eyelashes at **chacoguy** _ Wait. You’re not saying I’m full of poopy, are you? ---
**Author:** ![Dahu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahu/32/3416_2.png) [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/16 "2009-07-03T06:54:52Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Britain hasn’t many (if any) snakes. > 😃 [Not true.](http://www.new-forest-national-park.com/new-forest-wildlife.html#reptiles) There are plenty in the New Forest, and throughout England and Wales. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/96bed5/32.png) [@Cat\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/17 "2009-07-03T07:12:00Z")
> [@](#): > > **ratatoskK** Are there snakes in England? Yes and in Wales, and Scotland (altho’ they’re much rarer there) we don’t have border controls 😉 > [@](#): > > **Claire Beauchamp** Ireland split off from what is now England/Scotland before the snakes made it that far north. psst you seem to have forgotten Wales exists. Just to clarify, Ireland is currently to the north of neither England nor Scotland - I could be wrong but I thought Ireland was cut off by changes in sea levels (as Britain was from continental Europe) rather than continental drift and changes in position ? > [@](#): > > **ratatoskK** I would think Ireland and England both have similar weather and geology, so why would Ireland be different re: snakes? Actually the geology and hence climate of the island of Britain\* is usually divided into 2 zones - lowland and highland. [Here’s an image](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tees-Exe_line). The first is generally lower & drier, warmer and sunnier and as you can see from [this map](http://www.bto.org/gbw/herps/species%20accounts/grasssnakemap.htm) grass snakes are more often found in the lowland zone, [this map](http://www.bto.org/gbw/herps/species%20accounts/slowwormmap.htm) shows Slow Worm distribution. The island of Ireland is geographically and climatically akin to the highland zone of the “mainland”. The Adder however does have a wider range but he seems to be pretty hard for a snake if he gets up into Scandanavia, [cite](http://www.arkive.org/adder/vipera-berus/range-and-habitat.html). \*Politically known as Great Britain & comprising 3 nations - England, Scotland and Wales. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/18 "2009-07-03T13:12:38Z")
I think **Claire** meant ‘before snakes had made it as far north as the British Isles in general’, rather than meaning to suggest Ireland was to the north of Great Britain… ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/19 "2009-07-03T13:18:59Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > The mongoose. Britain hasn’t many (if any) snakes because the weather there is shitty (coldish, cloudy, rainy) and snakes like mucho exposure to direct sunlight, as they are reptiles. > > Fucking Brits. Can’t hold onto an empire, can’t support snakes…you fucking pussies! > 😃 Do you never feel the urge to actually, well you know, inform yourself about a topic before mouthing off? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2009, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741/20 "2009-07-03T13:23:13Z")
> [@Cat\_Jones](#): > > Politically known as Great Britain & comprising 3 nations - England, Scotland and Wales. And geographically known as that too. Obligatory punchline: “Are yez all right in the back there lads?” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-snakes-now-in-ireland/501741.md?page=2)