European (Mediterranean) Cat Snake

This little fellow was hiding out in our garden today. His body was about as thick as my little finger and he was about 1/2 meter in length. His head seemed quite large for the width of his body. I was amazed at how loud his hiss was when he got aggravated at being disturbed. My husband managed to capture him with the aid of a bucket and stick and he has been relocated to the bottom of the valley behind our house.