SMOOTH SNAKE

(Coronella austriaca), abundant snake of Europe and Asia Minor, belonging to the family Colubridae. It has smooth, glossy scales and is usually not more than 65 cm (26 inches) long. It captures lizards, other small vertebrates, and insects. It and a water snake are the only colubrids in Scandinavia and the British Isles, and it is one of the most common snakes of central Europe.