Sincere apologies for hijacking this thread, but today I received something which is obliquely relevant. It tickled me..
"Europes only black snake is found in Germany. You can sometimes see it, but only when it rains. It's thought that the rain triggers a mating dance where the snake rears up and moves majestically in a back and forth motion - tracking the intensity of the rain. It is commonly known as the Vindscreen Viper. "