Anguis fragilis - Slow worm

Although they look very much like snakes, slow worms are in fact legless lizards. They are characterised by an almost complete absence of identifying markings on the body, although some females are found with a thin dark stripe along the back. Slow worms vary quite a lot in colour, from a bright coppery brown to a leaden grey. The females tend to be brownish, while the males are usually more grey; both are quite shiny in appearance.

As with the other lizards, slow worms have eyelids and are able to blink and to close their eyes when resting; snakes have no eyelids.

You will find slow worms only in places where there is plenty of cover. They live among long dry grass or amidst soft soil and undergrowth, usually with somewhere nearby where they can sun themselves - almost always underneath a rock or discarded sheet metal. They are commonly encountered in compost heaps.

When old corrugated iron sheets are left beside buildings, slow worms sometimes take up residence there, and they will also hibernate in such places.

Pictures courtesy Bob Osborne.

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