0:00:02 > 0:00:06The New Forest - Britain's newest national park -
0:00:06 > 0:00:07the protected refuge of heath land
0:00:07 > 0:00:09and woodland.
0:00:09 > 0:00:14A sanctuary for an elusive and fascinating group of animals,
0:00:14 > 0:00:17the New Forest Six -
0:00:17 > 0:00:19three species of snake
0:00:19 > 0:00:21and three different lizards.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25This is one of the only places in Britain
0:00:25 > 0:00:27where all of them live together.
0:00:27 > 0:00:28And of these six,
0:00:28 > 0:00:29perhaps the most famous -
0:00:29 > 0:00:31or infamous -
0:00:31 > 0:00:33is the adder.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42BIRDSONG
0:00:46 > 0:00:49It's early March, and already there's plenty of signs
0:00:49 > 0:00:50that spring is arriving
0:00:50 > 0:00:52in the New Forest.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56The woodland canopy is echoing with birdsong.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59VARIETY OF BIRDSONG
0:01:05 > 0:01:09The warm weather is enough to tempt our only venomous reptile
0:01:09 > 0:01:11out of hibernation.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Having made it through the harsh winter months,
0:01:14 > 0:01:16the adder males are the first to emerge.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19The females will appear later in the season.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25In early spring, the best time of the day for adders
0:01:25 > 0:01:28is midday, when the sun is at its warmest.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Being cold-blooded, they need to absorb heat to get going.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34So they flatten out their bodies,
0:01:34 > 0:01:36to take in as much warmth as they can.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40That zigzag pattern makes them almost invisible
0:01:40 > 0:01:42against the backdrop of old bracken leaves.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02But spring showers are never far away,
0:02:02 > 0:02:06and this cools the snakes down to a dangerous level.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10You see, being solar-powered does have its drawbacks.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36As the season progresses into April,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38a key moment in this male's life
0:02:38 > 0:02:40is about to occur.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43He's about to cast off his rather dull winter coat
0:02:43 > 0:02:46and reveal his smart spring colours.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52He wriggles through tight stems
0:02:52 > 0:02:54and brushes up against brambles.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58He's just trying to snag the old skin and pull it back over his body.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03It's a bit like trying to pull off a pair of knee socks...
0:03:03 > 0:03:05not using your hands.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13But eventually, after five minutes of very hard work,
0:03:13 > 0:03:15the skin is free.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19He's looking his best
0:03:19 > 0:03:21and he's ready to go...
0:03:21 > 0:03:24looking for a mate.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33Adders aren't the only reptiles that have emerged
0:03:33 > 0:03:35with mating in mind.
0:03:35 > 0:03:36Another of the New Forest Six
0:03:36 > 0:03:38is also out and about -
0:03:38 > 0:03:40sand lizards.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46They too are enjoying the warm spring sunshine.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49Its open heath with sandy soil
0:03:49 > 0:03:51is their idea of an ideal home.
0:03:51 > 0:03:56The males have absolutely dazzling courting colours.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59And...oh, he's spotted a female.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Foreplay can be a little bit on the rough side.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05The phrase "be gentle with me"
0:04:05 > 0:04:08really doesn't seem to mean much to a sand lizard.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11It's basically grab, grip
0:04:11 > 0:04:12and here we go.
0:04:12 > 0:04:17A third member of the six has also ventured out into the spring warmth.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19This is the common lizard.
0:04:19 > 0:04:20It's, um...
0:04:20 > 0:04:23considerably less sparkly than sand lizard,
0:04:23 > 0:04:24but it does live up to its name -
0:04:24 > 0:04:26it's pretty common round here.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32Like the sand lizards,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35the adder males are also starting to get a bit frisky.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38They're beginning to establish a hierarchy
0:04:38 > 0:04:40with the larger, dominant males
0:04:40 > 0:04:42most likely to mate with the females.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51But at the moment, the females are still underground, hibernating.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55But, as it gets a little warmer,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58they're beginning to stir.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Elsewhere in the forest,
0:05:18 > 0:05:19another snake species
0:05:19 > 0:05:22and the fourth of the New Forest Six
0:05:22 > 0:05:24has made an appearance.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28The smooth snake is often confused with the adder.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31There's one big difference, though -
0:05:31 > 0:05:33the smooth snake is not venomous.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39It's nearly May now,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42and at last the adder females
0:05:42 > 0:05:45are emerging from their underground burrows.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50Not surprisingly, their appearance drives the waiting males
0:05:50 > 0:05:53absolutely frantic.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57And it leads to one of the most spectacular and rarely seen wildlife spectacles -
0:05:57 > 0:05:58the adder dance.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Males fight males
0:06:00 > 0:06:02to mate with newly emerged females.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Bodies entwined, they rear up in a serpentine wrestling match.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08And the winner is...
0:06:08 > 0:06:11unfortunately not the one who dances most elegantly,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14but the one who has the most brute force.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20The victorious males woo the females
0:06:20 > 0:06:24by almost flirtatiously tapping them with their bodies
0:06:24 > 0:06:27and then gently licking them.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34At which, the females go all calm
0:06:34 > 0:06:37and receptive, and allow the males to get close enough to mate.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42Once the couple are joined,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46no other male stands a chance of mating with this female.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56After mating,
0:06:56 > 0:06:58the males disperse,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01but the females remain rather more visible,
0:07:01 > 0:07:03basking in the sun to incubate their young
0:07:03 > 0:07:05as they grow inside their bodies.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14Summer has arrived in the forest, and with the ever-warmer days,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17the final members of the New Forest Six might be seen.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20The third snake species in Britain is...
0:07:20 > 0:07:21the grass snake,
0:07:21 > 0:07:23which, as you can see,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25is by no means confined to grass.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28Then finally,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30there's the slowworm,
0:07:30 > 0:07:32which isn't a worm or indeed a snake -
0:07:32 > 0:07:34it's a legless lizard.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43As all the reptiles bask in the warm sun,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46most of the females will now be carrying the next generation.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52Sand lizards are already digging burrows in which to lay their eggs.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03In the forest, summer is nearly over.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06There's now a feeling of autumn in the air.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08For all reptiles,
0:08:08 > 0:08:12these cooler days mean their year is nearing its end.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17But for the female adder,
0:08:17 > 0:08:19the most important stage of her year
0:08:19 > 0:08:21is still to come.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24She'll soon return to where she hibernated,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28and there she'll give birth to the next generation of New Forest adders.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30And shortly after that,
0:08:30 > 0:08:31they'll all go into hibernation.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37It really is very nice to know
0:08:37 > 0:08:39that the New Forest Six
0:08:39 > 0:08:41are safe and secure
0:08:41 > 0:08:44in these fabulous woodlands.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Subtitles by Anne Walker Red Bee Media Ltd - 2005
0:08:53 > 0:08:55E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk