Conservation & Ecology


Common or Viviparous Lizard (Lacerta zootoca vivipara)


worm from a snake, including the presence of eyelids and ear openings. It can be locally abundant and it is likely to be the most commonly seen reptile. Adults have a smooth, shiny appearance, with a grey or bluish belly. The male and female differ in appearance; the female is usually brown, copper-coloured or red on the back, with brown or black sides, often with lighter iridescent flecks. In many individuals, there is a dark stripe passing along the middle of the back and stripes running along the sides of the body. The male varies in colour, being greyish, brown or coppery brown, typically without stripes. The male usually has a broader, longer head than the female. Occasionally, individuals may have blue


spots, a feature that is more common among males than females. In juvenile slow worms, the back is iridescent silver, gold, bronze or copper and the sides are brown or black. Depending on the climate, a female slow


worm will mate annually. She is ovoviviparous; giving birth to an average of eight live young between mid-August and mid-September. The young slow worms are initially encased in the egg membrane and measure from 70 to 100 millimetres in length. It takes between six and eight years for the slow worm to become fully grown, although the male reaches sexual maturity at three or four years of age. The female becomes sexually mature at four or five years of age. Their range extends across England,


Scotland and Wales but is not native to Ireland. However, it was illegally introduced in the 1970s, but has only ever been been sighted in parts of County Clare. Slow worms live for a long time, with one specimen known to have lived for fifty-four years!


Common or Viviparous Lizard (Lacerta zootoca vivipara)


Common Lizards, as their name suggests, are widely distributed in the UK. You may find one almost anywhere from gardens, heathland, wooded glades, disused railway tracks and open meadows to the banks of ditches and along hedgerows. In spring, the males and females bask in the open to absorb the heat from the sun. Later, in the summer, it is usually only the pregnant females that are seen to bask. They will often use a stone, log or grass tussock close


Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis)


to cover for basking. If disturbed, they will often return to their favourite spot soon afterwards. Up to ten young are produced in July, with


the UK species giving birth to live young, whilst southern European species lay eggs. This is believed to be due to the cooler temperatures in the British Isles. Most males and some females have dark


spots in their undersides. Males have brightly coloured undersides - typically yellow or orange. Females have paler, whitish underparts. The throat is white, sometimes blue. Their range extends across the whole of the British Isles and is the only reptile native to Ireland.


Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis)


Sand Lizards are the UK’s rarest reptiles. They favour sandy heathland habitats and sand dunes and can be spotted basking on bare patches of sand. They also lay their eggs in the sand. Sand Lizards are confined to a few sites as destruction of their habitat has reduced their range. Females are a sandy-brown colour with


rows of dark blotches along the back, but males have green flanks which are at their brightest during the breeding season, making them easy to spot. Their range is restricted to a few isolated


areas with sandy heaths, such as Dorset, Hampshire and Surrey, and on sand dunes in Lancashire. It has been reintroduced into other areas in the South East and Wales with limited success. Heathland golf clubs offer ideal conditions


for sand lizards. Two ‘non-native’ lizard species exist in the UK; the wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) and the green lizard (Lacerta bilineata). Both are currently rare.


Wall lizard (Podarcis muralis)


The wall lizard is one particular species of European lizard that has gained a firm foothold. The Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust say that, whilst some populations have been introduced (now illegal), the origin of others is uncertain and it may indeed be native in some areas. This, of course, is almost impossible to ascertain. The wall lizard is slightly larger than the


common lizard, and with similar colouring, but may be distinguished by its more pointed head.


Green Lizard (Lacerta bilineata)


The green lizard has most likely escaped from captivity, having been kept for its striking green colour. Whilst adults have no difficulty surviving in the British climate, juveniles very rarely reach maturity, although, as world temperature continue to rise, this situation might change. There is one breeding colony in the south east corner of England. At 35cm (14in) long, it is by far the largest


lizard to be seen in the UK. And finally ...


Reptiles probably sit alongside bats when it comes to the general public’s perceptions of them as being somewhat unsavoury but, just like bats, they are a fascinating part of the UK’s diverse wildlife and definitely worthy of further investigation and, indeed, ongoing protection.


Further information and helpful advice is available from:


The Wildlife Trusts. Visit www.wildlifetrusts.org to find your local trust.


Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Trust - www.arc-trust.org


Peoples Trust for Endangered Species - www.ptes.org


All images Wiki Commons Reptiles and the law


The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 covers ‘wild animals’; those that are living wild or were living wild before being captured or killed. It does not apply to captive bred animals that are being held in captivity.


All native reptiles mentioned in this article are protected in Britain under this act.


The law makes it an offence to intentionally kill, injure, sell or advertise for sale any of the six native species, although there are some exceptions for captive bred animals.


The act further protects the rarest reptiles in Britain, the smooth snake and the sand lizard, by making it an offence to possess, handle, capture or disturb them.


www.gov.uk. PC JUNE/JULY 2017 I 119


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