Species of the Month: June 2016

Slow-worm Anguis fragilis

 

Our most cosmopolitan reptile, the handsome Slow-worm can turn up in a variety of habitats, including urban gardens. Although it looks like a snake, the Slow-worm is actually a lizard without legs. Males are a greyish brown and females are brown with dark sides. Juveniles are very small with black bellies and gold or silver dorsal sides, sometimes with a stripe running along the length of the body, as shown in the lower photograph.

There are just over 1600 records of Slow-worm in the SEWBReC database, and we would love to add more. Information about Slow-worms and their identification is available from Froglife and NatureSpot.

This map on Aderyn shows the distribution of Slow-worm at a 10km square level for the whole of Wales. Zoom in or click on a 10km square to see the 1km square record distribution.

If you spot a Slow-worm during June (or at any other time of year), please send us the record, ideally via SEWBReCORD or the LERC Wales App. Instructions on how to submit records are available here.