Reptiles

Slow-worm (Anguis fragilis)

Often mistaken for a snake, the slow-worm is a legless lizard and totally harmless. They are semifossorial and highly secretive in habit.

Slow-worms often live in gardens completely unnoticed and are welcomed by the well informed gardener because they will avidly eat slugs!

If you would like to attract slow-worms to a garden they will benefit from areas left unmown and a little untidy and the construction of a large compost heap.

Often occurring in large numbers on undisturbed ground, they are particularly vulnerable when so called 'brownfield' sites are developed.

Adult male and female slow-worms are usually easily distinguished. Males tend to have few markings and a relatively large jaw. Females usually have a dark vertebral stripe and darker flanks than males.

Though not often seen in the open, slow-worms can very often be found under objects that absorb the heat from the sun, such as corrugated tins and carpet squares.