Viviparous Lizard
Identification: Small, almost unflattened lizard. Small round head, short legs. Body length 4-7 cm. Females longer than males. Original tail 1.4-2 times the body length. (A regenerated tail is shorter and less colourful than the original one). Collar serrated, back scales keeled. Back and flanks brown or greyish brown, sometimes with a green or bronze shine. Flanks darker than back. On the border between back and flanks, there is a whitish or yellowish streak or series of spots. In females these streaks are more pronounced, in males they are more often broken into a series of spots or small stripes. Often dark and/or light spots are visible on back and flanks. In females, there is usually a dark streak or series of spots over the middle of the back, but in males, this streak can be absent. In males the belly is dark yellow to orange red with many black spots; in females the belly is whitish yellow or pale orange with a few small dark spots. Males have a relatively much bigger head than females, longer hind legs and a longer tail. Young animals usually are very dark bronze brown. Their belly is greyish black and the tail is very dark. Subadult animals look like females.
Range: Occurs in a large part of Europe and is widely distributed in Britain and Ireland.
Habitat: Mainly sandy areas like heaths, but also on moorland and in open woodlands. Prefers rather dense vegetation and a moist atmosphere. Common Lizards are widely distributed in the UK. You may find one almost anywhere from gardens, heath land, wooded glades, disused railway tracks and open meadows to the banks of ditches and along hedgerows. In the south of its range, it also occurs in the mountains- in the Alps up to altitudes of 3000 metres, and in the Pyrenees up to 2400 metres.
Habits: Active from the end of March until October, depending on weather conditions. In spring, males appear earlier than females. Breeding activity takes place in April and May. This species is ovoviviparous, but in some areas in the south of its range, they lay eggs. In England, the young are born after 10 weeks, usually at the end of July or the beginning of August. Viviparous Lizards feed on all kinds of invertebrates, such as spiders and insects. They are good swimmers and sometimes flee in the water. They hibernate between the roots of plants and trees, in abandoned holes of other animals, beneath tree trunks etc. Young animals usually go into hibernation a little later than adults. Hibernation occurs from October to March, depending on weather conditions.
How to find: These animals can be seen from March until the beginning of October. From mid-April until the end of May, most breeding activity takes place and they can then be seen most easily. During this time, the males and females bask in the open to absorb heat from the sun. Later in summer, it is usually only the pregnant females that are seen to bask. They will often use a stone, log or grass tussock close to cover for basking. If disturbed, they often return to their favourite spot soon afterwards. Young animals can be found from the end of July and sometimes stay active until the end of October.