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  you are in: ADVICE > FAQs > LIZARDS > WHICH SPECIES



Advice and Resources

Frequently Asked Questions about...

Lizards


Which species of lizard have I seen?

Quick answer
You are most likely to see common lizards or slow-worms (a leg-less lizard) as they are both widespread across the UK.

Further information
There are three species of lizard in the UK - the common lizard, the sand lizard and the slow-worm (a type of legless lizard often mistaken for a snake). Of these three species, you are most likely to see slow-worms or common lizards in your garden.

The UK's rarest lizard, the sand lizard, tends only to be found in heathland or dune habitat and is unlikely to be seen at all in most gardens.

Occasionally, non-native lizards are recorded in the wild, particularly the wall lizard and green lizard, and sometimes newts are mistaken for lizards as they can be a similar size, shape and colour.

It is important to report your lizard sightings to help build up local and national records of these declining species. Get in touch with the local Biological Records Centre and your local Amphibian and Reptile Group (ARG) if you have seen lizards in your garden.


More information:
O Native lizards.
O
Exotic lizards.

O Telling the difference between newts and lizards.
O Find my Local Records Centre.
O
Find my local ARG.