Snakes & Lizards

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In Britain we have ten species of reptile living in the wild: four snakes (adder Vipera berus, grass snake Natrix helvetica, smooth snake Coronella austriaca, and Aesculapian snake Zamenis longissimus) and five lizards (viviparous lizard Zootoca vivipara, sand lizard Lacerta agilis, wall lizard Podarcis muralis, slowworm Anguis fragilis, and green lizard Lacerta bilineata) and one terrapin (red-eared terrapin or slider Trachemys scripta elegans).

Species

Aesculapian snake

Zamenis longissimus

Aesculapian snakes, a non-native species, were first reported in Britain's countryside during the early 1960s, but remain few in number & restricted in distribution.

Barred grass snake

Natrix helvetica

Britain's longest snake species, the barred grass snake is widely distributed in England and Wales, where it's frequently found in water hunting for amphibians.

Common lizard

Zootoca vivipara

The common/viviparous lizard is a short-legged reptile found throughout Britain and Ireland, barring the Canaries and some Scottish islands.

European adder

Vipera berus

Europe's most northerly-distributed snake and Britain's only venomous reptile, the snake with the zigzag along its back is instantly recognisable to many of us.

European slowworm

Anguis fragilis

A familiar legless lizard, common throughout Europe and frequently found in gardens.

Smooth snake

Coronella austriaca

Britain's rarest snake, the smooth snake is now restricted to a few pockets of sandy heathland in southern England.

Questions

What is hibernation?

Hibernation is more than a winter sleep. It's a complete physiological readjustment.

Bibliography

Amphibians & Reptiles of North-West Europe: Their Natural History, Ecology and Conservation - by Ian Spellerberg
CRC Press -- 2002 -- ISBN: 978-1578082599

Britain’s Reptiles & Amphibians - by Howard Inns
WildGuides Ltd. -- 2011 -- ISBN: 978-1903657256

Collins Field Guide: Reptiles & Amphibians of Britain & Europe - by Nicholas Arnold & Denys Ovenden
HarperCollins -- 2004 -- ISBN: 978-0002199643

Field Guide to the Amphibians & Reptiles of Britain & Europe - by Jeroen Speybroeck, Wouter Beukema, Bobby Bok & Jan Van Der Voort
Bloomsbury Natural History -- 2016 -- ISBN: 978-1472935335

Grass Snakes - by Robert Vaughan
Lulu Press, Inc. -- 2007 -- ISBN: 978-1445278049
A comprehensive scientific report of the findings from studies on grass snakes in the south of England by the author.

RSPB Spotlight Snakes - by Jules Howard
Bloomsbury Wildlife -- 2020 -- ISBN: 978-1472971692

Snakes of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East – A Photographic Guide - by Philippe Geniez & Tony Williams
Princeton University Press -- 2018 -- ISBN: 978-0806988276

The Adder - by Peter Stafford
Shire Publications -- 1987 -- ISBN: 978-0852638798

The British Amphibians and Reptiles - by Malcolm Smith
HarperCollins Publishers -- 1969 -- ISBN: 978-0002130295

The Private Life of Adders - by Rodger McPhail
Merlin Unwin Books -- 2011 -- ISBN: 978-1906122294

The Reptiles of Northern and Central Europe - by Donald Street
Batsford Books, London -- 1979 -- ISBN: 978-0713413748