common lizard

Reptile Awareness Day

September 28, 2023 by admin

Written by Jade Walton, Transforming Lives Trainee

The 21^st October marks Reptile Awareness Day, and what better way to celebrate than to learn some interesting facts about our six native reptile species!

In the United Kingdom we have six native reptiles, three snakes and three lizards.

Our snakes are:

Grass snakes

Smooth snakes

and adders

Our lizards are:

Common lizards

Sand lizards

and slow-worm

Each of these reptiles have interesting facts about them that easily set them aside from their other reptile counterparts.

Firstly, lets look to our snakes. Adders are our only venomous species, though not particularly dangerous to most humans, it is best to keep your dog on a lead when walking in areas inhabited by adders. Adders are surprisingly small, usually measuring between 60cm and 80cm when fully grown. Females birth live young that are less than 20cm long.

Next, we come to the smooth snake. Just like their adder relatives, smooth snakes are quite short in length, usually growing to around 60-70cm. These are the rarest of our UK reptile species, only to be found in specific heathland sites. Smooth snakes are also the only snake in the UK to constrict their prey.

Our final snake is the grass snake. Easily the UK’s longest snake growing to around 150cm, they are also the only native snake to lay eggs rather than birth live young. This is a contributing factor as to why they are not found in Scotland as they need warm enough temperatures through the summer months for their eggs to incubate.

Our other three reptile species are types of lizard. Sand lizards are another rare UK reptile as their habitats are greatly limited to certain sandy heathlands. The sand lizard is our only lizard in the UK to lay eggs, which they bury under sand in sunny areas to allow for them to incubate. Like our other lizards, they can drop their tails as a defence mechanism against predators.

Common lizards are widespread throughout the UK, though their numbers are thought to be declining due to habitat loss. They are fairly often mistaken for newts as they are quite similar in appearance, the best way to tell the difference is to see the scaly skin of the lizard versus the smooth skin of the newt, they also move a lot faster.

Our final, and perhaps most confusing reptile is the slow-worm. Many could mistake a slow worm for a snake, given they have no legs, but they are, in fact, a lizard. They are distinguished from snakes by their ability to blink and drop their tails when threatened.

Croaking Science: 2023 so far- what have we learned from the Dragon Finder App?

February 27, 2023 by admin

As we fast approach the spring and our amphibians and reptiles begin to stir after their winter period of relative dormancy (known as brumation) we can expect sightings to increase in frequency. Whilst the occasional pioneering common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) or adder (Vipera berus) will emerge from their hibernacula to bask in winter sun, it’s the UK’s amphibians that bring the most herptile activity to this time of the year. This is reflected in the sightings that have been reported to Froglife’s Dragon Finder App so far in 2023.

At the time of writing (mid-February 2023), we’ve verified 42 reports submitted to the App; 24 sightings of common frogs (Rana temporaria), 6 encounters with common toads (Bufo bufo), 8 palmate newt sightings (Lissotriton helveticus), 2 smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris) sightings and 1 sighting of a great-crested newt (Triturus cristatus) and an alpine newt (Ichthyosaura alpestris) respectively.

All this amphibian action heralds the commencement of their breeding season. Common frogs lead the charge; the earliest report of frogspawn this year came to us from the Isles of Scilly, 45km south-west of mainland Cornwall, reported to us on the 9^th January yet seen on Christmas Eve! UK common frogs spawn earliest here due to the archipelago’s unique climate – the moderating oceanic influence on which means that winters are warmer there than anywhere else in the UK and consequently snow and frost (potentially detrimental to spawn) are rare. We’ve received a total of 11 frogspawn reports so far in 2023, with the majority of these coming from Devon & Cornwall, reflecting the relatively warm winters experienced by the southwest more broadly. We’re now looking forward to witnessing reports of frogspawn slowly popping up in increasingly northerly and easterly locations as we pass through February and into March and April.

We’ve received 6 reports of common toads, but only one of common toad spawn, reported from Devon. Interestingly, the Dragon Finder App user that made this sighting was also able to spot a number of instances of a frog and toad engaged with one-another in ‘amplexus’, the act of the male using rough nuptial or ‘thumb’ pads to clasp onto the female whilst she deposits spawn. Common toads often begin to migrate to their ancestral breeding ponds from February, waiting for a comparatively warm and wet evening to do so.

Therefore, be sure to keep a keen eye out for reptiles and amphibians as the winter draws to a close and make sure to report your sightings through our free Dragon Finder App – the data we receive provides a wonderful insight into what our species are up to, as well as when and where this activity is occurring. Happy spotting!

What our animals are doing this month…

December 19, 2022 by admin

What are our animals up to in January?

It is a pretty quiet month for our reptiles and amphibians with the odd frisky frog exception that may start spawning early. That said, the ever-increasingly erratic temperatures that come with climate change may influence how active they are as they do not hibernate as such, but ‘brumate’. Brumation is a period of dormancy like hibernation, but our wonderful species will take trips out of their hideaways to bask in the sun or have a quick snack in warmer weather.

This is an ideal time to think about how you can help these charismatic animals in the coming months and plan some habitat features in your garden. That area at the back of your garden with the extra garden waste you couldn’t fit in your compost heap could be added to or transformed into a log pile or Hibernaculum. That area you think that looks a mess with the long grass could be a winter home for some critters that need to be left alone for a little longer. Doing things like this saves you gardening in the cold, and you can always say it was an intentional creation of habitat for our deserving amphibians and reptiles.

So, on a warm day you may have a rare wintery glimpse of a common lizard basking or common frog topping up on their energy reserves. Happy spotting!

Always remember to record your amphibian and reptile sightings on our FREE Dragon Finder app. All the data collected is sent to the National Biodiversity Network Atlas. You can download the app here.

What our animals are doing this month …

April 26, 2022 by admin

Springtime is a great time of year to try and spot a common lizard – so why not give it a go? Adult lizards emerge from their hibernation sites in early spring, with mating taking place around April/May. Females incubate their eggs inside their bodies and give birth to up to 11 live young later in the summer.

These fascinating reptiles are usually up to 15cm long and are often mistaken for newts (even though the common lizard has scaly skin rather than smooth skin). They are usually a brown colour, but they can be yellow, green or even black! Common lizards also have a pattern of spots or stripes down their back with males having a yellow or orange belly with black spots and females having a pale, unspotted belly.

This species is widespread throughout the UK, including Ireland, but can be quite hard to spot! They are agile and fast and will move away quickly if they have spotted you, so you will have to be extra quiet if you want to see one. Try looking further ahead rather than right in front of you. Download our ‘Surveying for Reptiles’ booklet for free from our website for more tips.

Where to spot them: The common lizard is mainly a ground dweller, but you can sometimes see them climbing. They like sunny, dry, exposed areas near dense cover so they can hide if they need to. Their favourite meals are worms, slugs, and insects – yum!

They also have the ability to lose their tails if being chased by a predator! How clever is that? They will be able to regrow their tail, but it is never as good as the original.

Living in Scotland and want to try and spot one? Flanders Moss near Stirling is a very good place to start!

Always remember to record your amphibian and reptile sightings on our FREE Dragon Finder app. All of the data collected is sent to the National Biodiversity Network Atlas. You can download the app here.

Reptiles in London

February 28, 2022 by admin

Although London is a large urban landscape, it is home to a wide range of fauna and flora. One group of London wildlife that is often overlooked are the reptiles. London is home to four native reptile species: Adder, Grass Snake, Common Lizard and Slow-worm.

If you are inspired to go out and look for London’s reptiles, here’s a couple of site suggestions for 3 of the most common species to find around the capital from courtesy of our London team.

Common Lizards:

Little Wormwood Scrubs, Kensington & Chelsea

Slow-worms:

Lesnes Abbey, Bexley

Grass Snakes:

WaterWorks Nature Reserve, Waltham Forest

Remember to report your reptile sightings (including juveniles and eggs) on our free Dragonfinder app.

What our animals are up to this month… December 2020 Edition

November 29, 2020 by admin

By December, our native reptiles and amphibians should be dormant and sheltering somewhere warm for the winter. Unlike other animals which hibernate through winter, amphibians and reptiles do not undergo true hibernation; instead they enter a state of reduced activity.

Common lizards are one of the opportunistic species that make the most of mild winter weather by coming out of dormancy for brief foraging bouts. They will use these warmer spells to hunt for invertebrates such as worms, spiders and slugs before returning to their overwintering site. This behaviour is becoming more common as we are experiencing warmer winters.

You can encourage common lizards to your own garden by creating piles of rocks or logs for them to shelter in. Growing a variety of plants or building an insect hotel nearby will also attract a range of insects for common lizards to feed on, and they will appreciate having this food source on hand to take advantage of during the warm spells!

common lizard

Our snakes are:

Our lizards are:

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