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(tense music)

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No animals fascinate like snakes.

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(tense music)

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Terrifying to some,

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exquisite to others.

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Elegant and endangered.

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(tense music)

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Born to hunt,

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yet so vulnerable.

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(tense music)

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(orchestral music)

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Late winter.

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The snow has grown damp and heavy.

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Most of the animals have survived the cold months

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quite well.

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Soon the white ermine will chance its color to brown.

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South facing slopes are already nearly bare.

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Those who succumbed to the cold and snow slowly appear.

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Insects, for example.

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The snow also reveals other fragile forms.

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A snakeskin discarded last autumn,

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but where is the snake itself?

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Where did it disappear to

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when snow and ice covered the Earth?

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Snakes spend the winter

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in frost free cavities in the ground.

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Their body energy is reduced to a minimum.

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In this brumation they can just keep alive.

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The power of the spring sun changes everything.

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Until the snakes drowsily abandon their refuge.

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(mysterious music)

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Its first winter over a young Aesculapian snake

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directs its attention to the spring butterflies.

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They don't count as prey,

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but they're the first lifeforms its seen in six months.

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And soon there's much more to see.

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(orchestral music)

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More and more snakes also appear

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with the rising temperatures to sun bathe.

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The harmless grass snake is the most common snake in Europe.

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It's recognized by the two yellow markings

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on the back of its head.

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After its winter rest it's not just looking for warmth.

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Sometimes spring see the phenomenon of mass mating

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when 50 or more gather.

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They'll spend the rest of the year alone.

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Spring is also the time to encounter the slough worm.

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It looks like a snake,

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but only at first glance.

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It has eyelids and that makes it a lizard.

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Snake eyes by contrast are lidless

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and covered by a transparent scale,

53
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that's what gives them the snake like stare.

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So if it blinks it's not a snake,

55
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a subtle but important difference.

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Even today there's a great deal of ignorance about snakes.

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They're permanently darting tongues

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are not a sign of aggression.

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It's their way of smelling.

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Odor molecules are drawn from the air

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and evaluated by a special organ in the roof of the mouth.

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Their darting tongues lead them to their prey.

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It even works underwater.

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(splashing)

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The growing intensity of the spring sun

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quickly warms the upper levels of the lake.

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The swimming season has started for the grass snake.

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A grass snake can grow to nearly two meters.

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Moving with extreme elegance in the liquid element.

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The search for amphibian prey

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may mean swimming hundreds of meters.

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(splashing)

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No shortage of frogs and toads

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in the tangled vegetation along the shore.

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Toads are perfect sized prey,

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but this one has a bright signal color.

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(tense music)

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Toads and grass snakes don't exactly live in harmony.

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But the snake is indecisive.

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It may look like the toad is giving up,

81
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but in fact it's displaying its warning colors.

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To the grass snake that means I'm inedible, move on.

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(tense music)

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And when the snake is out of range

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the toad takes off too.

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Another predator is in and out of the water.

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A European otter.

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It eats fish, crabs, muscles, amphibians and snakes.

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Otters are superb divers.

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A gently gliding grass snake has no chance.

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(suspenseful music)

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The snake has no defense.

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The scent gland meant to frighten off smaller attackers

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only seems to make the otter's meal more tasty.

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It devours it whole.

96
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Every little piece.

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(jazz music)

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Snakes have conquered nearly ever habitat in Europe.

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One climbs to great heights.

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Spotted in tree tops at 20 meters or more.

101
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The Aesculapian snake.

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It's not poisonous, and a true survival specialist.

103
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Its greatest skill is climbing trees.

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As if gravity didn't exist it glides higher

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and higher in a vertical line

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by jamming the edge of its belly scales

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into any irregularity,

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and snaking its way continuously up the trunk.

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At dizzying heights

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it seeks out an undisturbed place in the sun.

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The norther most habitat of the Aesculapian snake

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takes in southern Germany, the Czech Republic,

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Slovakia and Austria.

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At over two meters, it's one of the largest snakes in Europe

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and it's harmless to humans.

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About 2,000 years ago the species was given a boost

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by the Roman city of Carnuntum near Vienna.

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When more Aesculapian snakes were brought

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from the Mediterranean and released in Carnuntum

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(orchestral music)

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The snake was welcomed for religious reasons.

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It was dedicated to the Roman god Aesculapius

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and was itself considered divine.

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Even today it symbolizes the healing arts

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for physicians and pharmacists.

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But the Romans didn't just bring the Aesculapian to Austria,

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they also brought domestic rats,

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that hadn't been known here until then.

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Proximity to humans gave them refuge and plenty of food

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and they multiplied rapidly.

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Aesculapian snakes almost became domesticated

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thanks to the permanent offering of rats.

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(unnerving music)

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In Roman times the Aesculapian was highly appreciated

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as a pest controller.

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Some things change over time.

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2,000 years later Aesculapian snakes

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are still seen in gardens in Vienna and lower Austria.

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These gardens are rarely full of mice or rats.

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But another potential prey, birds and their young

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are often found in larger numbers here

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than in forests or meadows.

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The Goldfinch is possible prey for an Aesculapian snake.

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(dramatic music)

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But this climbing snake if drawn by a different odor trail.

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A tit box.

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If it's occupied that's the end of the brood.

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If not it'll be a good overnight shelter.

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(dramatic music)

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Where there are no nestings

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an Aesculapian snake will also be satisfied

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with a clutch of eggs.

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(suspenseful music)

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Its lower jaw is so flexible

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that it can swallow the eggs whole.

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Some species of snake

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can be found in large numbers

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at the end of the spring in piles of leaves and vegetation.

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In such exposed areas they're not seeking food,

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but suitable locations for their offspring.

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Three central European snake species

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don't give birth to live young.

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They lay eggs in decomposing vegetation.

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Snake eggs don't have hard shells like birds' eggs.

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Their surfaces appear leathery and have indentations.

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Female grass snakes lay 10 to 50 eggs.

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Snakes don't brood the eggs themselves,

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the heat of rotting vegetation does it for them.

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Central European landscapes

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reach from the lowlands to the highlands.

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One species of snake has adapted to the higher climbs.

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Its found in the foothills of the alps

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between 1,000 to 2,000 meters.

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It loves the harsh mountain climate.

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A snake wreathed in myth and legend.

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The Adder, or common viper.

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A contemporary of the mammoth

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that has survived to the present day.

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The vertical pupil of the viper family

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is its most distinctive feature,

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and vipers are poisonous.

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On the back of their head there's often a V or X shape

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and a dark zigzag ribbon along its back.

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The females are mostly brown to copper colored.

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While the males are more of a gray color,

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but even among hundreds of animals

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no two share exactly the same coloring.

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Their tail always ends in a short tip.

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In the cool alpine climate

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mating often first takes place in May.

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(orchestral music)

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The smaller males besiege the females

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and perform mating dances.

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The whole process can take several hours.

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(orchestral music)

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For centuries there have been stubborn rumors

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that a highly dangerous poisonous snake

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lives in remote mountain regions,

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immediately recognizable for everyone.

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It's black as midnight, the black common viper.

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They exist, but they're neither a separate species,

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nor especially dangerous.

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They are completely black common vipers

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that every now and then appear.

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In effect the opposite of an albino,

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and like every common viper,

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they have an appetite for mice.

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(suspenseful music)

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Two hollow teeth like injecting needles

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are located in the upper jaw.

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They're supplied by poison glands in the head.

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(suspenseful music)

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The poison targets the vascular system.

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The mouse dies within minutes.

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(dramatic music)

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Only then will the snake claim its prey.

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(orchestral music)

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Common vipers rarely grow longer

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than 60 to 70 centimeters.

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They can become angry if they're approached to closely

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and feel threatened.

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(orchestral music)

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Deer leave the mountain forests to graze in green pastures.

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The preferred sunbathing area of the common viper.

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(suspenseful music)

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Snakes have neither an outer ear nor an eardrum

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and therefor hear poorly.

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Their inner ear is sensitive

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to the vibrations caused by larger mammals.

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(suspenseful music)

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A snake's first instinct is to flee.

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(suspenseful music)

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But when a common viper feels crowded

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and the unsuspecting deer continues to advance,

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a step too far can lead to doom.

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(suspenseful music)

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A defense bite injects less poison than a hunting attack

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but this is a young deer.

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After just an hour it loses its balance,

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and it crashes to the ground.

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(dramatic music)

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The poison has caused internal bleeding

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and damaged critical organs.

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(dramatic music)

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In some cases a viper's bite can result in death.

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(dramatic music)

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But no human has died from the bite of a common viper

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since the 1960's.

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Hedgehogs make their home in many different habitats

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including those shared with common vipers.

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As well as alpine uplands,

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common vipers also like hilly moorland.

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They've adapted to the damper climate over millennia.

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(unnerving music)

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When a common viper encounters a hedgehog

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the snake doesn't stand a chance.

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Hedgehogs are passionate insectivores,

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but they won't sniff at a poisonous snake.

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Their spines are perfect protection.

260
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(suspenseful music)

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Its only a matter of time

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before the exhausted common viper loses

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the life or death struggle.

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(suspenseful music)

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The boggy cotton grass meadows

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hide a doppelganger of the common viper.

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The harmless smooth snake.

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A closer look reveals the difference,

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while common vipers have vertical pupils

270
00:23:47,784 --> 00:23:51,117
a smooth snakes pupils are always round.

271
00:23:54,637 --> 00:23:58,137
It may not be poisonous but it is unusual.

272
00:24:01,394 --> 00:24:05,061
Smooth snakes hunt lizards and other snakes.

273
00:24:10,321 --> 00:24:14,488
If it meets a common viper, the vipers life is in danger,

274
00:24:18,973 --> 00:24:20,890
but this one's too big.

275
00:24:33,738 --> 00:24:35,655
The smooth snake stops.

276
00:24:38,445 --> 00:24:40,945
(tense music)

277
00:24:55,855 --> 00:24:59,355
It coils around its victim to strangle it.

278
00:25:04,671 --> 00:25:07,080
The mini anaconda only lets go

279
00:25:07,080 --> 00:25:09,747
when it's suffocated the lizard,

280
00:25:15,538 --> 00:25:17,538
and it can drag it away.

281
00:25:29,575 --> 00:25:32,492
(orchestral music)

282
00:25:35,595 --> 00:25:39,481
A summer dawn over the warmest alpine lake.

283
00:25:39,481 --> 00:25:41,398
Carinthia's Worthersee.

284
00:25:46,039 --> 00:25:49,956
Snake Island was named for its elongated shape,

285
00:25:53,316 --> 00:25:55,758
but like its neighbor Kapuziner Island,

286
00:25:55,758 --> 00:25:59,258
it's a perfect habitat for the dice snake.

287
00:26:12,128 --> 00:26:16,211
It's harmless to humans and a habitat specialist.

288
00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:24,389
It can swim and dive exceptionally well,

289
00:26:24,389 --> 00:26:27,868
remaining underwater for an hour or more.

290
00:26:27,868 --> 00:26:30,785
(mysterious music)

291
00:26:38,637 --> 00:26:41,811
Dice snakes prefer to hunt small fish.

292
00:26:41,811 --> 00:26:43,252
They lurk at the bottom of the lake

293
00:26:43,252 --> 00:26:45,942
and snap at passing prey.

294
00:26:45,942 --> 00:26:48,859
(mysterious music)

295
00:26:57,853 --> 00:27:01,135
If the tidbit is too big to devour immediately,

296
00:27:01,135 --> 00:27:04,913
the dice snake brings its prey onto land.

297
00:27:04,913 --> 00:27:07,830
(orchestral music)

298
00:27:16,014 --> 00:27:18,957
This snake can be found throughout Europe

299
00:27:18,957 --> 00:27:21,457
when the conditions are right.

300
00:27:25,676 --> 00:27:28,420
Above all it needs unpolluted waters

301
00:27:28,420 --> 00:27:30,440
like here in Worthersee.

302
00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:33,626
(orchestral music)

303
00:27:33,626 --> 00:27:37,793
Or natural flowing streams with unreconstructed banks.

304
00:27:39,107 --> 00:27:41,940
Like the Kamp in northern Austria.

305
00:27:45,140 --> 00:27:49,057
One of the few rivers that remains unregulated.

306
00:27:56,223 --> 00:27:58,760
The dice snake hides on a gravel bank

307
00:27:58,760 --> 00:28:00,843
warming up between dives.

308
00:28:10,656 --> 00:28:13,823
Then it returns to the flowing waters.

309
00:28:26,614 --> 00:28:29,447
(water splashing)

310
00:28:33,424 --> 00:28:37,138
Although the dice snake is rarely longer than one meter,

311
00:28:37,138 --> 00:28:39,138
it's extremely powerful.

312
00:28:41,039 --> 00:28:45,122
Once it has a grip, it won't let go of this rudd.

313
00:28:53,929 --> 00:28:57,582
Like all snakes it isn't able to dismember its prey

314
00:28:57,582 --> 00:28:59,499
so it devours it whole.

315
00:29:02,445 --> 00:29:04,545
Thanks to its extremely flexible jaw

316
00:29:04,545 --> 00:29:07,628
it can swallow relatively plump fish.

317
00:29:11,567 --> 00:29:15,150
It then wrenches its mouth back into shape.

318
00:29:18,391 --> 00:29:20,889
In 2009 the dice snake was named

319
00:29:20,889 --> 00:29:23,791
endangered reptile of the year,

320
00:29:23,791 --> 00:29:26,176
and that still applies today.

321
00:29:26,176 --> 00:29:30,343
It only survives where there is clean clear water.

322
00:29:34,630 --> 00:29:37,197
The dice snake had laid up to 25 eggs

323
00:29:37,197 --> 00:29:41,114
in rotting vegetation near its hunting grounds.

324
00:29:42,705 --> 00:29:43,873
The heat of decomposition

325
00:29:43,873 --> 00:29:47,623
will hatch the clutch of eggs after 10 weeks.

326
00:29:51,732 --> 00:29:55,482
The leathery shell is perforated from within.

327
00:30:01,928 --> 00:30:04,610
It can take minutes or several hours

328
00:30:04,610 --> 00:30:08,799
for the young snakes to struggle out of the egg shell.

329
00:30:08,799 --> 00:30:11,716
(orchestral music)

330
00:30:23,406 --> 00:30:25,379
The birth process of these reptiles

331
00:30:25,379 --> 00:30:28,569
hasn't changed for millions of years.

332
00:30:28,569 --> 00:30:31,486
(orchestral music)

333
00:30:38,911 --> 00:30:41,003
The little snakes are perfectly developed

334
00:30:41,003 --> 00:30:45,522
from the first moment and still carry their yoke sac

335
00:30:45,522 --> 00:30:49,075
which they'll lose in the next two days.

336
00:30:49,075 --> 00:30:51,992
(orchestral music)

337
00:31:05,643 --> 00:31:09,810
Tangles of young grass snakes are found until mid summer.

338
00:31:10,786 --> 00:31:13,019
Once they make their way to the surface

339
00:31:13,019 --> 00:31:14,852
each goes its own way.

340
00:31:20,549 --> 00:31:24,716
Frog spawn has long since transformed into tadpoles.

341
00:31:28,092 --> 00:31:30,229
In cool mountain areas they develop slowly

342
00:31:30,229 --> 00:31:32,979
and can still be found in August.

343
00:31:39,325 --> 00:31:42,992
The table is set for the young grass snakes.

344
00:31:45,471 --> 00:31:49,016
They don't need to learn to hunt, they're born to it.

345
00:31:49,016 --> 00:31:52,016
(suspenseful music)

346
00:31:57,939 --> 00:31:59,640
Tadpoles are the ideal prey

347
00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:03,807
for snakes that hardly longer than 10 centimeters.

348
00:32:07,288 --> 00:32:10,538
The young grass snakes seem insatiable.

349
00:32:13,184 --> 00:32:14,596
But when they can't find food

350
00:32:14,596 --> 00:32:17,777
they may need to fast for several weeks.

351
00:32:17,777 --> 00:32:20,777
(suspenseful music)

352
00:32:27,233 --> 00:32:29,134
It's not unusual for several young snakes

353
00:32:29,134 --> 00:32:31,217
to fish in the same pond.

354
00:32:32,146 --> 00:32:36,128
There are lighter and darker versions of grass snakes,

355
00:32:36,128 --> 00:32:38,203
but the behavior is the same.

356
00:32:38,203 --> 00:32:40,120
Eat as much as you can.

357
00:32:45,997 --> 00:32:49,280
Time for a rest after a good meal.

358
00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:50,686
That applies to all snakes

359
00:32:50,686 --> 00:32:52,936
because they digest slowly.

360
00:33:01,908 --> 00:33:06,075
However the slow and inattentive live dangerously.

361
00:33:07,565 --> 00:33:09,401
Of the large number of grass snakes

362
00:33:09,401 --> 00:33:13,893
that hatch every year only a fraction survive.

363
00:33:13,893 --> 00:33:16,893
Ravenous hunters are everywhere.

364
00:33:16,893 --> 00:33:19,893
(suspenseful music)

365
00:33:27,855 --> 00:33:32,022
A praying mantis can overwhelm young grass snakes.

366
00:33:38,165 --> 00:33:40,088
The mantis will devour the reptile

367
00:33:40,088 --> 00:33:42,505
right down to the last scale.

368
00:33:56,838 --> 00:34:01,005
Relatively soon after birth young snakes have milky eyes.

369
00:34:03,576 --> 00:34:05,352
This is not due to an illness,

370
00:34:05,352 --> 00:34:09,519
but is part of a cycle that recurs throughout their lives.

371
00:34:13,605 --> 00:34:15,935
In order to grow they must shed their skin

372
00:34:15,935 --> 00:34:17,685
at regular intervals.

373
00:34:19,091 --> 00:34:21,924
This usually happens in one piece.

374
00:34:24,572 --> 00:34:27,918
The transparent eye scale is also shed,

375
00:34:27,918 --> 00:34:32,085
and head first the snake peels off the parchment like skin.

376
00:34:34,283 --> 00:34:37,321
It tangles itself in vegetation to create friction

377
00:34:37,321 --> 00:34:41,488
and rolls off the old skin like a glove turned inside out.

378
00:34:53,424 --> 00:34:56,924
The sluff remains, a thin shell of scales.

379
00:35:04,594 --> 00:35:07,844
Like snakes, black storks avoid humans.

380
00:35:12,216 --> 00:35:13,970
Quite unlike their white relatives,

381
00:35:13,970 --> 00:35:16,803
they brood hidden deep in forests.

382
00:35:26,170 --> 00:35:28,532
Freshly molted young Aesculapian snakes

383
00:35:28,532 --> 00:35:30,615
live in the same habitat.

384
00:35:37,963 --> 00:35:40,143
Black storks have excellent eyesight

385
00:35:40,143 --> 00:35:42,531
and hunt all kinds of small creatures

386
00:35:42,531 --> 00:35:44,448
in forests and meadows.

387
00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:53,167
Young Aesculapian snakes look a lot like grass snakes.

388
00:35:54,481 --> 00:35:56,898
The black stork isn't choosy.

389
00:35:59,730 --> 00:36:02,437
Its massive bill can cope with large prey

390
00:36:02,437 --> 00:36:06,487
and at one meter tall it's a dangerous predator.

391
00:36:06,487 --> 00:36:09,404
(orchestral music)

392
00:36:18,713 --> 00:36:22,880
By late summer there are large numbers of young snakes.

393
00:36:25,142 --> 00:36:29,034
The black stork has no problem finding them.

394
00:36:29,034 --> 00:36:32,034
(suspenseful music)

395
00:36:37,922 --> 00:36:42,089
Their bill has sharp edges to go with its sharp tip.

396
00:36:45,913 --> 00:36:50,080
The shaking breaks the snake's vertebrae and ribs.

397
00:36:59,631 --> 00:37:01,516
The stork takes its time,

398
00:37:01,516 --> 00:37:05,683
making sure the snake is truly dead before it swallows.

399
00:37:21,226 --> 00:37:24,098
The black stork can't endanger the Aesculapian snakes

400
00:37:24,098 --> 00:37:27,598
as a species, it's much too rare for that.

401
00:37:33,224 --> 00:37:35,474
Summer has passed its peak.

402
00:37:37,712 --> 00:37:41,712
In the alpine foothills the signs are all there.

403
00:37:46,444 --> 00:37:49,777
Plants like the corn lily, or monkshood.

404
00:37:56,810 --> 00:38:00,880
The Adder now bears 15 young that haven't hatched from eggs,

405
00:38:00,880 --> 00:38:03,297
but are born fully developed.

406
00:38:09,812 --> 00:38:12,080
The important thing now is to spread out

407
00:38:12,080 --> 00:38:14,663
and find suitable living space.

408
00:38:18,557 --> 00:38:20,023
The lack of suitable habitats

409
00:38:20,023 --> 00:38:22,441
means that some snakes are becoming rarer

410
00:38:22,441 --> 00:38:24,091
throughout Europe.

411
00:38:24,091 --> 00:38:26,831
Some are now only found in tiny areas

412
00:38:26,831 --> 00:38:29,823
limited to a few square kilometers.

413
00:38:29,823 --> 00:38:32,740
(orchestral music)

414
00:38:35,237 --> 00:38:38,774
One of these nature islands is Carinthia's Gail Valley

415
00:38:38,774 --> 00:38:42,857
in Austria at the foot of the Dobratsch mountain.

416
00:38:43,949 --> 00:38:48,187
This almost impossible area had been battered by rock falls.

417
00:38:48,187 --> 00:38:51,104
(orchestral music)

418
00:38:57,727 --> 00:38:59,997
In places it looks as though a giant

419
00:38:59,997 --> 00:39:03,330
has strewn boulders around like pebbles.

420
00:39:09,060 --> 00:39:10,762
Hard to believe a landscape like this

421
00:39:10,762 --> 00:39:13,383
could attract much animal life.

422
00:39:13,383 --> 00:39:16,300
(orchestral music)

423
00:39:28,758 --> 00:39:30,260
And yet,

424
00:39:30,260 --> 00:39:33,673
one of the largest and most poisonous snakes in Europe

425
00:39:33,673 --> 00:39:35,423
lives in this region.

426
00:39:38,578 --> 00:39:40,948
The nose horned viper,

427
00:39:40,948 --> 00:39:43,198
also called the sand viper.

428
00:39:46,587 --> 00:39:49,022
The scaled horn on the tip of its snout

429
00:39:49,022 --> 00:39:50,855
makes it unmistakable.

430
00:39:58,976 --> 00:40:02,132
It's found in the Balkans, Bulgaria and Greece

431
00:40:02,132 --> 00:40:05,799
and anywhere between South Tiero and Turkey.

432
00:40:16,707 --> 00:40:20,874
Like all vipers it has two poison fangs in its upper jaw.

433
00:40:22,934 --> 00:40:26,853
Its bite Is more dangerous than the common vipers,

434
00:40:26,853 --> 00:40:29,799
but deaths are still extremely rare.

435
00:40:29,799 --> 00:40:33,799
The last one in Austria was around 70 years ago.

436
00:40:41,603 --> 00:40:45,323
The poison works quickly on rats and mice.

437
00:40:45,323 --> 00:40:48,156
(unnerving music)

438
00:40:51,615 --> 00:40:54,276
The nose horned viper is perfectly camouflaged

439
00:40:54,276 --> 00:40:56,443
in its rocky surroundings.

440
00:40:57,562 --> 00:41:01,103
But its popular name of sand viper is inaccurate.

441
00:41:01,103 --> 00:41:03,186
It's never found on sand.

442
00:41:10,389 --> 00:41:14,556
The dark zigzag band on its back is especially pronounced.

443
00:41:19,487 --> 00:41:21,721
The male, larger than the female,

444
00:41:21,721 --> 00:41:24,221
can grow to more than a meter.

445
00:41:30,480 --> 00:41:33,687
Males and females are often so different in coloring

446
00:41:33,687 --> 00:41:36,437
they look like different species.

447
00:41:37,727 --> 00:41:41,214
The females are mostly brown to copper colored.

448
00:41:41,214 --> 00:41:43,881
The males more ash to dark gray.

449
00:41:49,477 --> 00:41:53,644
Dusk in this wild area of rock falls in southern Carinthia.

450
00:41:55,015 --> 00:41:59,743
The giant rocks release the stored heat of the day.

451
00:41:59,743 --> 00:42:04,053
Best conditions for warmth loving reptiles.

452
00:42:04,053 --> 00:42:07,344
Nose horned vipers are active at twilight.

453
00:42:07,344 --> 00:42:10,177
(unnerving music)

454
00:42:15,390 --> 00:42:19,557
They don't lay eggs, but instead give birth to live young.

455
00:42:29,625 --> 00:42:31,151
The climate in mountain regions

456
00:42:31,151 --> 00:42:34,484
would be too harsh for clutches of eggs.

457
00:42:38,712 --> 00:42:42,879
Live birth is better for the survival of the species.

458
00:42:46,583 --> 00:42:51,032
The young are still in their amniotic sac when they're born,

459
00:42:51,032 --> 00:42:54,105
but after only a few hours they become quite lively

460
00:42:54,105 --> 00:42:57,272
and already resemble the adult snakes.

461
00:43:03,306 --> 00:43:04,833
Nose horned vipers can give birth

462
00:43:04,833 --> 00:43:07,207
to up to 20 young per litter.

463
00:43:07,207 --> 00:43:11,374
That seems a lot, but only one or two will survive to breed.

464
00:43:14,152 --> 00:43:18,235
The fight for survival is tough for young snakes.

465
00:43:21,777 --> 00:43:26,253
The future of this majestic species is more than uncertain.

466
00:43:26,253 --> 00:43:29,758
Their tiny remaining habitats are isolated islands,

467
00:43:29,758 --> 00:43:32,446
and could disappear entirely.

468
00:43:32,446 --> 00:43:35,363
(orchestral music)

469
00:43:39,558 --> 00:43:42,463
From Austria's alpine regions

470
00:43:42,463 --> 00:43:46,182
to the Pannonian lowlands close to Hungry.

471
00:43:46,182 --> 00:43:49,099
(orchestral music)

472
00:43:56,144 --> 00:44:00,511
This region is home to very special flora and fauna,

473
00:44:00,511 --> 00:44:04,678
that have adapted to the aquatic world and the swamps.

474
00:44:10,630 --> 00:44:14,325
A mysterious little snake settled in the water meadows.

475
00:44:14,325 --> 00:44:17,242
(orchestral music)

476
00:44:23,643 --> 00:44:27,760
It wasn't described by science until 1897.

477
00:44:27,760 --> 00:44:29,010
Orsini's viper.

478
00:44:30,708 --> 00:44:33,009
But hardly had it been documented

479
00:44:33,009 --> 00:44:36,184
then it was threatened with extinction.

480
00:44:36,184 --> 00:44:38,517
Within 80 years it was gone.

481
00:44:42,152 --> 00:44:46,319
The last photos in the wild were taken 50 years ago.

482
00:44:49,908 --> 00:44:50,741
The last half century

483
00:44:50,741 --> 00:44:54,120
has changed the ecosystem dramatically.

484
00:44:54,120 --> 00:44:57,037
(orchestral music)

485
00:45:02,050 --> 00:45:06,271
Like here at the border between Austria and Hungry.

486
00:45:06,271 --> 00:45:09,188
(orchestral music)

487
00:45:29,482 --> 00:45:32,482
Orsini's vipers have gone from here.

488
00:45:35,520 --> 00:45:37,827
And though the Neusiedler See-Seewinkel national park

489
00:45:37,827 --> 00:45:41,118
does all it can to protect flora and fauna.

490
00:45:41,118 --> 00:45:44,118
Orsini's viper has become a phantom.

491
00:45:50,329 --> 00:45:54,117
But kilometers beyond the Austrian border in Hungry,

492
00:45:54,117 --> 00:45:55,910
we still find the smallest

493
00:45:55,910 --> 00:45:59,538
and rarest poisonous snake in Europe.

494
00:45:59,538 --> 00:46:02,455
(mysterious music)

495
00:46:08,467 --> 00:46:11,286
From the tip of its snout to the end of its tail,

496
00:46:11,286 --> 00:46:15,453
Orsini's viper measures no more than 35 to 50 centimeters.

497
00:46:21,311 --> 00:46:22,972
It's never found in the forest,

498
00:46:22,972 --> 00:46:27,139
specializing in open water meadows and grass steppes.

499
00:46:29,117 --> 00:46:32,559
Orsini's viper ignores other snakes prey.

500
00:46:32,559 --> 00:46:34,719
They're much too big.

501
00:46:34,719 --> 00:46:37,636
(mysterious music)

502
00:46:42,106 --> 00:46:46,106
It hunts insects like crickets and grasshoppers.

503
00:46:57,609 --> 00:47:01,851
The green bush cricket is relatively safe in the bushes.

504
00:47:01,851 --> 00:47:04,712
Orsini's vipers don't climb trees.

505
00:47:04,712 --> 00:47:07,629
(mysterious music)

506
00:47:31,445 --> 00:47:35,612
The wart biter however is definitely within range.

507
00:47:39,082 --> 00:47:42,082
(suspenseful music)

508
00:47:48,167 --> 00:47:51,584
Once again the insect is swallowed whole.

509
00:48:05,976 --> 00:48:08,819
Sadly Orsini's vipers have disappeared

510
00:48:08,819 --> 00:48:11,152
almost everywhere in Europe.

511
00:48:12,713 --> 00:48:16,428
The result of persecution and habitat loss.

512
00:48:16,428 --> 00:48:19,345
(orchestral music)

513
00:48:24,728 --> 00:48:29,072
Autumn in Austria, the colors change within weeks.

514
00:48:29,072 --> 00:48:31,989
(orchestral music)

515
00:48:40,471 --> 00:48:44,138
The days grow shorter and temperatures drop.

516
00:48:48,694 --> 00:48:52,861
A profound change for snakes that above all need warmth.

517
00:48:58,512 --> 00:49:01,972
As the insects collect that last pollen and nectar

518
00:49:01,972 --> 00:49:06,139
the active phase for Aesculapian snakes is ending too.

519
00:49:14,589 --> 00:49:17,506
The final beautiful days of autumn.

520
00:49:23,187 --> 00:49:26,924
The sun gives its all one last time,

521
00:49:26,924 --> 00:49:30,973
but the power of late summer has long since waned.

522
00:49:30,973 --> 00:49:33,890
(orchestral music)

523
00:49:51,203 --> 00:49:54,786
One last sun bath for an Aesculapian snake.

524
00:49:56,043 --> 00:49:59,460
But the falling leaves disturb its peace.

525
00:50:05,874 --> 00:50:09,896
With the evening fog the temperature sinks to zero.

526
00:50:09,896 --> 00:50:12,813
(orchestral music)

527
00:50:13,880 --> 00:50:17,885
High time for snakes to find frost free quarters

528
00:50:17,885 --> 00:50:20,684
or they won't survive the winter.

529
00:50:20,684 --> 00:50:23,601
(orchestral music)

530
00:50:30,054 --> 00:50:31,912
Some abandoned mouse nests

531
00:50:31,912 --> 00:50:35,995
will be comfortable snake villas over the winter.

532
00:50:41,765 --> 00:50:45,464
Layers of autumn leaves provide perfect insulation,

533
00:50:45,464 --> 00:50:49,066
no matter how cold and frosty it gets outside.

534
00:50:49,066 --> 00:50:51,983
(orchestral music)

535
00:50:57,580 --> 00:50:59,702
When winter comes to Europe

536
00:50:59,702 --> 00:51:02,869
all the snakes have long been at rest.

537
00:51:08,400 --> 00:51:11,721
Only occasionally does any empty sluff

538
00:51:11,721 --> 00:51:14,555
recall their mysterious lives.

539
00:51:14,555 --> 00:51:17,472
(orchestral music)