British Reptiles by Sue Searle
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British Reptiles By Sue Searle What is a reptile? • Back-bone present • Cold-blooded. Inactive in winter • Scaly skin which is shed • No water required for mating or young • Most lay eggs but some are viviparous Life cycle Mate in Spring Breed at 2-4 Slow-worm once temperature years old is 13-15ºC Grass Snake Common Lizard Sand Lizard Adder Smooth Snake Lay eggs in June Gestation lasts Eggs hatch late summer 4-5 months Live young born in late summer Gestation lasts at least a year or early autumn Anatomy - Snakes Dfd Skeleton Habitats Domestic habitats Snakes • No legs but slither on numerous ribs • Jaws can be dislocated 3 4 species in the UK: adder, smooth snake, grass snake, and barred grass snake August 2017 – new species! Barred Grass Snake Grass Snake Natrix natrix • 120cm long • Young hatch from eggs • Eats frogs, lizards & small mammals • Grassy places • Common, swims & climbs trees • Offence to kill, injure or sell Grass Snake Natrix natrix ID Yellow and black collar Keeled scales Barred Grass Snake Natrix helvetica Previously thought to be a subspecies, has now been found to be a separate species. Grey, not olive green like the N. ? natrix and does not have the same bright yellow collar. Distribution assumed the same as N. natrix but more study needed. NEW! August 2017 Adder (Viper) Vipera berus • 65cm long • Viviparous • Eats lizards & small mammals • Many habitats • Venomous • Widespread but localised • Offence to kill, injure or sell Adder (Viper) Vipera berus Smooth Snake Coronella austriaca • 60cm long • Viviparous • Eats lizards • Sandy heathland • Heathlands in Dorset & Hampshire • 1-2 heaths in Surrey & West Sussex • Very local and very rare • Fully protected Smooth Snake Coronella austriaca Lizards •Most have four limbs and a tail •The tail may be regrown if damaged 3 species in the UK: Slow worm, common lizard and sand lizard Common Lizard Lacerta vivipara • 13.5cm (tail = 7cm) • Viviparous • Eats invertebrates • Grassland & heathland • Widespread • Offence to kill, injure or sell Common Lizard Lacerta vivipara Sand Lizard Lacerta agilis • 18cm (tail = 9cm) • Young hatch from eggs • Eats invertebrates • Sand dunes & heathland • Occurs naturally in Surrey, Dorset & Hampshire on sandy heathland • Found in Merseyside on coastal sand dune systems • Has been re-introduced to sites in N. Wales, Devon, Cornwall & West Sussex • Very local, endangered • Fully protected Sand Lizard Lacerta agilis Slow-worm Anguis fragilis • 50cm long • Viviparous • Eats slugs & other small animals • Woodland, meadows & heathland • Widespread • Offence to kill, injure or sell Slow-worm Anguis fragilis ID Variable colours Very smooth Tiny scales Can blink Newborn juveniles Mature males can have blue spots Slow-worm Anguis fragilis Reptiles and the Law • Only the sand lizard and smooth snake are fully protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 (Section 9) and Regulation 9 of the EU Habitats Regulations 2017 against killing, injuring, capture, damaging or destroying a breeding or resting site, intentionally obstructing access to a place used for shelter, keeping, transporting or selling. This means that not only are the animals themselves protected but so are their habitats. These species do not occur in Devon except in nature reserves. • Common lizard, slow worm, adder and grass snake are all protected under Section 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 against injuring, killing or selling. Survey Techniques and Mitigation • Bitumen tiles • Corrugated iron tins • Fences • Receptor site • Destructive search Tiles and Tins Reptile fences Destructive search Reptile sites Looking at habitat and potential for reptiles Enjoy! .