Lizard (Common)

livelinkadmin — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 12:46:28 +0000

The Common Lizard is also known as the Viviparous Lizard and can be found scattered throughout England. It likes to live in areas that have open sunny spaces such as on heaths, moors, sea cliffs, grassland. It can even be found on railway embankments.

The Common Lizard is a small reptile that has a long slender body and a long tail. It is normally a bronze-brown colour with rows of small black spots running down the length of its body. It can also be green, grey or a reddish brown. The male Common Lizard usually has a yellow-orange belly with black spots and the female usually has a creamy-white belly without spots.

Common Lizards spend quite a lot of time basking in the sun especially in spring and autumn. They often sunbathe on logs or piles of twigs because if they are disturbed, they can quickly vanish out of view. Like all reptiles, Common Lizards are cold-blooded which means they need the heat of the sun to make them more active. When it gets too cold, Common Lizards hibernate in burrows or under logs and rocks and they re-emerge when the weather becomes warmer in early April.

Lizard (Sand)

livelinkadmin — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 15:41:42 +0000

Sand Lizards are very rare reptiles that can only be found in Dorset and Surrey in undisturbed heathlands with thick vegetation and bare patches of sand. Sand Lizards need thick vegetation to go hunting for food and bare patches of sand to bury their eggs.

The Sand Lizard is a small reptile that has a short stocky body and a long tail. The male is normally brown, but around April time it develops bright green coloured sides. It also has a dark stripe down the middle of its back. The stripe consists of darker patches which have a white dot in each patch. The female looks similar to the male, but is a pale grey or light brown colour without the green sides.

Sand Lizards like to spend a lot of time hiding under the sand and this is why they are called ‘Sand Lizards’. They also like to bask in the sun on the sand. Like all reptiles, they are cold-blooded which means they need the heat of the sun to make them more active. When it gets too cold, Sand Lizards hibernate in burrows which they sometimes share with other Sand Lizards.