Slow worms are coloured bronze, grey, or brown and only reach 50cms fully grown.
They are usually spotted in wetlands and grasslands but can be seen in gardens too.
The following tips should be useful for identification. You are most likely to see grass snakes or slow-worms in your garden. It does look like a slow worm to me, the size is right (typical adult is 30-50cm) although a warmer brown than I remember. Slow worms are ovoviviparous, which means that they lay eggs internally. Grass snakes, smooth snakes and adders all typically have quite clearly-defined patterns to help with camouflage. Colouration. Snakes: identification. A slow worm is just an odd name for a legless lizard. The only snake it could be (in the UK) is the smooth snake which looks superficially similar (also having a dark stripe through the eye) but possibly 'scalier'. They are our longest snake and can grow up to 150 cm. If attacked by a predator, a slow worm can shed its tail to escape, although it never grows back fully. They spend the winter hibernating under piles of leaves or within tree roots. Which species of snake did I see? Their scales are smooth rather than overlapped, and they may drop 1/3 of their tail when scared.
Is A Slow Worm A Grass Snake? OK, it's not a grass snake or viper. Look out for it basking in the sun on heathlands and grasslands, or even in the garden, where it favours compost heaps. Conservation status Like other British reptiles, the slow worm has declined. How to tell the difference between UK reptiles ... Slow-worm (Anguis fragilis) Slow-worms are legless lizards and so are often mistaken for snakes. They have a yellow and black collar, pale belly, and dark markings down the sides. ... Grass snake. The female will then go on to give birth to live young. The eggs hatch inside the female slow worm’s body, and the young stay there for a while, living off the yolk of the egg. Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework. Remember that the slow worm is a lizard and not a snake and when you look closely at them it can be quite easy to see that their head is more lizard-like than snake-like. Grass Snakes may pass through gardens or revisit if there are suitable habitats. The eggs hatch inside the female slow worm’s body, and the young stay there for a while, living off the yolk of the egg. There are three native species of snake in the UK, plus the slow-worm – a legless lizard which looks like a snake.
sale, barter, exchange, transporting for sale and advertising to sell or to buy). This level of protection applies to the four widespread species of reptile, namely the common lizard, slow-worm, grass snake and adder. If these features disappear the snakes might do too. With reptiles there are three likely species you can attract into your garden, roughly in declining order of probability we have: slow worm, common lizard and grass snake. Grass snake. ... Grass snakes are the UK's most common snake species. The smooth and shiny, snake-like body of the slow worm is fairly distinct and differs from British snakes as it has a body which does not taper at the neck. Sometimes the Grass Snake is confused with the Slow-worm (Anguis fragilis), which is a leg-less lizard and not a snake at all. Grass snake or adder? Answer. The female will then go on to give birth to live young.
Try to identify the areas where you see the snake/s and simply maintain them as they are. Only part of sub-section 9(1) and all of sub-section 9(5) apply; these prohibit the intentional killing and injuring and trade (i.e. Check if it blinks – this is a dead giveaway that it’s a lizard as snakes don’t have eyelids. Protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. Grass snakes are the UK's most common snake species. Grass Snakes (and Slow-Worms) are quite commonly seen in gardens. No, they are totally different species.
The Slow-worm is a smaller creature (40 - … While slow worms may look like snakes, they are actually legless lizards. Despite appearances, the slow-worm is actually a legless lizard, not a worm or a snake! It’s not a snake (or a worm) at all. The grass snake is usually greenish in colour - although this can vary. Slow worms like humid conditions and emerge from their hiding places at dusk or after rain to hunt for food.