Reptile Checklist for Leicestershire and Rutland
Reptile Checklist for Leicestershire and Rutland Compiled in 2016 by Andrew Heaton, County Recorder for Amphibians and Reptiles in Vice-County 55 (Leicestershire & Rutland) R1. Slow-worm Anguis fragilis Native. Uncommon, with few scattered records in Charnwood, West Leicestershire and Rutland (the main concentration, if any, being Charnwood Forest). This legless lizard, being rather elusive, may possibly be under- recorded rather than rare – elsewhere around the Midlands, it is frequently found in urban areas (gardens and allotments). There may have been a decline since recording began. RDB species. Slow-worm (Anguis fragilis) Viviparous Lizard (Lacerta vivipara) 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 SK TF SK TF 9 9 8 8 7 7 SP 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 TL 1 SP 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 TL 1 R2. Common Lizard Zootoca vivipara Native. Uncommon; records are concentrated in the heathy habitats of Charnwood Forest and the Moira area of North West Leicestershire, and in the drier habitats of East Rutland. Elsewhere, they are rather scarce, but, pleasingly, new sites seem to keep turning up. Confirmation of the presence of lizards outside Charnwood Forest was only made in comparatively recent years (since the 1960s). RDB species. R3 Sand Lizard Lacerta agilis Native to Britain (but probably not in Leicestershire). Native to heaths and sand dunes in south-central England. Reported in the Victoria County History of Leicestershire (1907), as formerly present, in the 1840s, (in Charnwood?), though rare. There is no firm evidence for this (and the VCH author appears sceptical).
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