Common lizards prefer warm sheltered habitats with nearby
dry places where they can bask in the sunshine. In Wales they are often
seen in and around dry stone walls or along railway tracks, where they
bask on the stone ballast beside and between the tracks.
Unlike newts, for which they are sometimes mistaken,
lizards have dry skin. They are most easily found in springtime, when they
are emerging sleepily from hibernation. By mid summer, lizards are very
much quicker at scampering away when they are approached.
The common lizard is also known as the viviparous lizard,
because it gives birth to live offspring. A fully-grown adult can be up to
14 cm long. The diet of these fascinating reptiles comprises mainly
insects.
Picture copyright (c) 2001 Melvin Grey
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