Slow Worm
Identification: A long-bodied legless lizard, it looks more like a snake but it has much smaller scales than most snakes and also has movable eyelids. Due to its stiff scaling, it moves far less flexibly than a snake. Length usually up to 50 cm, about half of it consisting of the tail. (A regenerated tail is shorter and less colourful than the original one. In Slow Worms broken tails regenerate only slightly). The body is round and shiny with a small head. The back is brown, bronze, gold or greyish. Females usually have a dark dorsal stripe and very dark flanks and belly. Males are more uniform in colour and sometimes have small blue spots on the front part of the back and flanks; usually the belly is grey. Newborn animals are gold or silver coloured with a black dorsal stripe and they are very shiny. Their flanks are very dark, the belly is black. They are 7-10 cm long.
Range: Occurs in a large part of Europe and is widely distributed in the British Isles. Also found on Jersey, Guernsey, Herm and Alderney. One small introduction in Ireland, on the Burren in County Clare.
Habitat: Prefers warm, sheltered, half-open areas with rather moist soil, such as the edges of woods, glades in woods, rough heaths, pastures, and motorway and railway embankments. They also may be seen in churchyards, and on waste ground and allotments. They often live in gardens unnoticed, making use of compost heaps for their burrows and feeding on slugs and snails. In the south of Europe, also found in the mountains up to altitudes of 2400 metres.
Habits: Active from the end of March until October, depending on weather conditions. Diurnal or crepuscular, but spends most of the day hidden amongst vegetation, beneath stones or in holes in the ground. Moves rather stiffly, but can be quick when it is well-heated, especially in dense vegetation. Males emerge from hibernation in March, females and young animals in April. Most breeding activities take place in May. The Slow Worm is ovoviviparous, and the female gives birth to up to 20 young, mainly in August or September in the UK. In the more southern countries of its range, young are produced annually, but in the UK only once every two years. Slow Worms feed on small invertebrates and prefer soft prey like slugs, snails and earthworms. They hibernate underground, in tunnels dug by themselves or in abandoned holes of other animals. Hibernation occurs from October to March, depending on weather conditions.
How to find: These animals can be seen from March until October. The best chance to see them is early in the morning or late in the afternoon. They can be seen basking, usually in small patches of sunlight among vegetation, sometimes on a flat stone or on (cycle) paths. A good opportunity is when rain is falling after a dry, warm period. Just after rain, the animals go searching for food. In August, the gravid females bask frequently, also in the afternoon.