Field observation and regional review document Hungary’s first reported albino Aesculapian snake

A field observation documented a male albino Aesculapian snake, Zamenis longissimus, at the National Botanic Garden in Vácrátót, Hungary, according to a case report and regional literature review. The authors described the May 2025 record as the first documented case of an albino Aesculapian snake in Hungary to their knowledge.

The study combined the capture, examination, photography, measurement and release of the snake with a compilation of published, social-media and database records of albino Aesculapian snakes in Europe. It was an observational wildlife record rather than a controlled animal experiment or population study. The report did not estimate the prevalence of albinism in wild snakes or test its causes.

The snake was observed and captured by Krisztián Halász at 7:26 a.m. local time on 22 May 2025. The male was pale yellowish to light pink, with white or yellowish mottled or blotched patterns along its dorsal surface. Its underside was distinctly yellow, its head had a pinkish hue, and a yellow or cream crescent-shaped blotch marked each side of its neck. Its eyes were conspicuously red.

Albinism in reptiles is marked by an absence of melanin production even though chromatophores are present and functioning normally. The lack of melanin can produce white or very pale skin, while its absence from the iris allows underlying blood vessels to show through, giving the eyes a pink or reddish appearance. The red eyes observed in the Vácrátót snake helped distinguish albinism from other melanin deficiencies.

Halász used a measuring tape and a digital balance to record a snout–vent length of 720 mm, a tail length of 125 mm and a body mass of 97 g. Based on its size, dorsal pattern and the crescent-shaped neck blotches, the researchers classified the individual as a subadult and estimated its age at two to four years. After photographs and measurements were taken, the snake was released at the site where it had been captured.

The report stated that four observations of Z. longissimus had been made in the National Botanic Garden over the preceding five years, including the 2025 albino male. The first was documented by Halász on 20 July 2020, when an individual was found on a dirt road after being struck by a vehicle. A second snake was observed in 2022 but was neither captured nor photographed, and Csongor Halász recorded another unphotographed observation on 15 July 2024. The report did not provide photographs or measurements establishing the pigmentation status of those three earlier observations.

The authors suggested that the garden’s relative isolation, potentially influenced by urbanization barriers, and its status as a well-protected area with reduced predation may have contributed to the concentration of records there. These were proposed explanations rather than demonstrated causes; the observation did not directly test either factor or establish a site-specific prevalence of albinism.

The regional review found previously reported albino Z. longissimus in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. It also compiled image-based Hungarian observations from Szekszárd in 2017, Abasár in 2020 and Medina in 2021, with the observers’ permission to include their photographs. A review of 1,158 Z. longissimus observations in iNaturalist on 10 July 2025 identified no albino individuals in that Hungarian dataset. Broader European examples compiled by the authors included a Vipera berus in Slovakia, a partially albino Natrix natrix in the Czech Republic, a completely albino Natrix natrix in Romania and partial albinism in Natrix tessellata.

By documenting the Vácrátót observation and consolidating regional records, the report extended the known geographic record of albinism in Z. longissimus. The authors said that such documentation can provide a foundation for future studies of its prevalence and underlying causes in natural populations.

Subject of Research: First reported albino Aesculapian snake in Hungary and a compilation of European records

Article Title: First records of albino Aesculapian snakes ( Zamenis longissimus ) in Hungary

Article References: Mészáros, B., Halász, K., & Szakács, É. (2025). First records of albino Aesculapian snakes (Zamenis longissimus) in Hungary. Herpetozoa, 38, 359-363. https://doi.org/10.3897/herpetozoa.38.e163261

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3897/herpetozoa.38.e163261

Keywords: Aesculapian snake, Zamenis longissimus, albinism, wildlife observation, Hungary, Vácrátót, National Botanic Garden, melanin deficiency, European herpetology, First, records, albino