Britain has an incredible selection of animals that have evolved to cope with our mild damp climate, producing many animals that struggle to live anywhere else in the world. Because we are an island, this keeps our summers warm and wet and our winters generally mild and well… wet. This consistent lack of extremes provides an excellent footing for wide varieties of animals that know that they can bank on food being available virtually all year round.
This does however put us at an advantage in one sense but also at a disadvantage. Much like the rail system, if extremes do occur then they cause serious problems because the ecosystems are not designed to deal with them. Due to climate change we are experiencing a far greater number of extremes which is shifting the nature of our islands animal life.
Foreign species are able to thrive, taking over from native wildlife and forcing them into the margins, new pests have emerged and are able to spread to parts where they were previously unable to reach.
In this section we will focus on a wide range of animals but particularly on those creatures that are under threat because of mans intervention into the environment.
The Red Squirrel, Our Native Squirrel
The number of red squirrels (Sciurus Vulgaris) found within our British forests has been declining for the last 100 years. The Red is in fact Britain’s only native squirrel and its major decline in population is mostly due to the introduction of its pushy North American cousin, the Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). Following its arrival into England in 1876 the Grey has become incredibly successful. With a diet that consists of mostly all nuts, fruits and seeds grown upon our trees and a bolshy, robust attitude to collecting food, it is no surprise that the quieter and slender Red Squirrel finds itself at a disadvantage. Add to this the break up of their woodland habitat and spread of disease within the species, the Red has found itself on the UK Endangered Species List and without conservation could become extinct within the next 20 to 30 years.
To gain a glimpse of this endearing native Briton you would have to travel to one of the lucky but limited surviving areas. In England these include Brownsea Island off Dorset, the Isle of Wright or Thetford Forest in Norfolk and there is a reasonable population in Northern England where the Grey Squirrel has yet to become established. A few thousand are found in Wales and they are still common in parts of Scotland. Over all the UK population is around 150,000.
The Red Squirrel inhabits deciduous woodland, favouring the mature Scots pine wood. They will spend a lot of time high within the branches, eat an assortment of seeds, buds, shoots, nuts and berries and build nests, dreys, to sleep and breed. Squirrels are diurnal therefore are mostly active during the day, having a quick snooze in the afternoon. They come to the ground briefly to forage for food, particularly in the autumn months to collect nuts to store for winter. They do have a few natural predators that share their woodland habitat, and will spend their time in the trees to avoid the hungry fox or bird of prey.
The Red Squirrel will produce two litters of kittens throughout a good year, one usually in spring and then another in late summer. There are on average 3 kittens in a litter, and they are born within a soft, thick, grassy drey. The survival of the young depends upon the amount of food available that season and if all is well at seven weeks they will start to venture into the forest and become independent. If the squirrels fall upon a bad winter, cannot feed well and cannot build up their fat reserves, those who do not die of starvation or disease through the cold months will not breed well the next season and the population is effected.
The Grey Squirrel is a perfect example of how man can introduce an alien species into an area to the detriment of our native wildlife, and without conservation efforts we could lose the Red Squirrel to the British Isles forever.
Guide to British Snakes
Britain does not have an abundance of reptiles mostly due to it’s cool damp temperate climate unlike it’s more southerly warmer neighbours like France and Spain. It does however support three types of native British snake and quite a few different species of lizard.
Whilst most people are quite aware of the two most populous native snakes that inhabit the British Isles, The Adder and the Grass Snake, few people know of a third, The Smooth Snake. The distribution of these three snakes is quite wide with the Adder being spread all over mainland Britain, the grass snake generally keeping to the warmer regions just below Scotland and down to the South Coast, and the smooth snake only found in the Southern Counties. They feed on a wide variety of smaller mammals, birds, lizards, frogs, newts and other similar size prey. In order to survive the harsh winters all three hibernate from October time right through till spring, conserving their energy by slowing down their metabolism until the sun is strong enough to be able to provide them with the solar energy they need to move and hunt.
The Manx Shearwater
The Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) is a member of the shearwater family that has over twenty different species of birds amongst it. It is the most commonly sighted of the Shearwaters around our Island coasts. It is most often seen skimming along the waves in the wake of a boat or soaring below cliffs on an evening before coming in to land in the darkness to take food to their solitary young.
The birds lay a single egg in their burrow which is to be found usually in soft grassy earth on the offshore islands of Britain, away from rats and other predators of the mainland. The adults are off at sea all day and only come in at night so as to avoid predators. This technique obviously works as they are known to live for decades, with one bird that was ringed as an adult in 1951 still alive today, estimating it to be over fifty five years old.
Their wings are very slender and positioned almost at right-angles to the body when in full flight, this position lets them soar with maximum efficiency, meaning they are able to travel vast distances between feeding grounds and stay at sea for months on end.
They are generally black or dark grey on top and across the back of their wings and then white underneath with quite a long grey hooked beak. They feed on small fish such as sand eel, herring and squid, as well as scavenging from fishing boats every now and then.
The Manx Shearwaters Latin name of Puffinus puffinus is a rather misleading name as they are no relation to Puffins, who are members of the Auk family. All the Shearwaters are expansive travellers, with their exhaustive journeys often leading to their doom as they die either mid-flight or when they get to their destinations. It is not rare to see dead shearwaters washing up on the beaches in great numbers, especially in Spring when the birds have just finished their migration.
The Manx Shearwaters can be spotted around much of Britain’s coastline but particularly in West Wales/Northern Ireland and the Western Isles of Scotland where they have colonies. If you want to see the colonies then a trip to either Skokholm in Wales or Copeland of the East Coast of Northern Ireland, not far from Belfast, are the best places to go.
Atlantic Puffins
Atlantic Puffins, one of four types of puffin, are a striking sea bird with a bright orange rounded bill and penguin like demeanour. There appearance is so familiar that just about everyone is able to recognise them, yet few people will have seen them in the wild. The reason for this lack of visibility is due to the fact that there are very few places in the UK where you can see puffins from the mainland due to their vulnerability from ground based mammals, especially rats. If however you are able to hop in a boat and sail out towards the islands that these small birds call home then they can be seen in their thousands.
Some easy points of access include Skomer Island (sometimes spelt Skoma) off the Pembrokeshire Coast, Puffin Island (Ynys Seiriol) off Anglesey and Staffa Island, which can be accessed from the coast of mull or Iona in the western Isles of Scotland. Because of the isolation of these islands the puffins are able to breed in relative peace, with only the odd tourist wandering past taking photos to bother them
Atlantic Puffins are vulnerable because they dig burrows in soft earth, making the eggs and young easy pickings for small hungry mammals. With the spread of man came the spread of rats and other feral pests which forced the birds offshore. This isn’t to say the puffins are endangered, there is an estimated population of around 12 million Atlantic puffins around the world with Britain holding a good proportion of those numbers all around the UK coast.
Puffins feed mostly on small fish such as herring and in particular sand-eel, which is one of the most important food sources for many of the world’s sea-birds. Because of their specially adapted bill, puffins are able to go on quite long fishing trips, storing their previous catch in a neat row in their bill. This makes each trip much more productive than it would be if they had to ferry prey back to the burrow each time. Puffins catch their prey by “flying” underwater, diving for around 20-40 seconds at a time, using their wings to swim powerfully down and their webbed feet to point them in the right direction.
Puffins try to return to the same burrow with the same mate year in year out, laying only one egg during the breeding season. The Young Puffins usually have an excellent chance of surviving the first year so long as good conditions prevail. Recently there have been problems with the availability of Sand-Eel in some parts of the UK which has led to a drastic increase in the mortality of the young birds. The usual suspects of over fishing and global warming are thought to be to blame although it is difficult to prove.
If you get the chance to see these birds then take it as they are a marvel to see circling at the base of the cliffs before whizzing out on their fishing trips. By reaching speeds of over 40mph they can cover vast distances in search of food. They are also an excellent bird to photograph as they are very trusting of humans if approached quietly and cautiously, allowing for a really excellent UK wildlife experience
The Eurasian Otter - Britain's only Otter
The Eurasian Otter (Lutra Lutra) is one of the UK’s most famous mammals but is also one of the most scarce having been effectively wiped out from much of it’s traditional range between the 1950 to 1990. Fortunately this massive decline was noticed in time so that steps could be taken to reverse it. A combination of pollution in the waterways, increased traffic on roads and decline in fish stocks forced this aquatic mammal out into the wilds away from major river systems, towns and cities.
Pesticides introduced in the 1950’s led to pollution at the very bottom of the food chain which worked its way all the way through to the otters at the top. Much of these pesticides have now been phased out so the threat from poor water quality and poisoned food is much reduced.
Today otters are found in reasonable numbers in North Western Scotland, Cumbria, Devon and Cornwall. They have also been re-introduced to other counties around the UK and population numbers have started to increase, although road accidents have already started to take their toll in some parts. Because of these re-introduction programs you are now six or seven times more likely to see an otter in your local river than you were just 10 years ago.
The otter is a charismatic animal and is a joy to watch and photograph if you can get close enough. They live for 10-12 years and feed on a variety of fish, crustaceans, occasional frogs and an assortment of other riverside tidbits. As well as inhabiting Britain, the Eurasian Otter is also found across much of Europe, parts of Asia and even North Africa, although it is under threat in much of its range and even extinct in the Netherlands.
The otter is just as happy in salt water as it is in fresh water, often diving down 20 metres or for up to two minutes at a time, although records show that otters can go as deep as sixty or seventy metres and stay under for up to four minutes. They must however have access to fresh water to clean themselves with as the salt water clogs up their fur and inhibits insulation.
Otters live in a burrow in the bank of a waterway called a holt. This is usually only accessible from underwater so is very successful at keeping out uninvited guests. Artificial otter holts are a good way of encouraging breeding among wild otters by providing them with a ready-made safe place to bring up their young.
Otters are generally solitary but come together to breed. The young (1-4 cubs) are born blind in the holt after a 63 day gestation period, they stay in the holt initially and then venture out with their mother, remaining dependent on her for at least a year. This dependency on the Mother being a major reason why populations find it difficult to recover if otters are killed. Once the cubs have left the mother they will take another one to two years before they become sexually mature.
With a bit of luck, continuing conservation and the continuing increase in the quality of the nation’s water, it is hoped that seeing wild otters on the banks of our rivers won’t be the rarity that it is at the moment.
The Red Fox - The Famous British Fox
1The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the most widely distributed and populous dogs in the world, having colonised large parts of Europe, America, Asia and Africa. It was also introduced into Australia in the 1800’s for recreational hunting although some sources suggest it was to help control the spread of Rabbits.
The Fox is a remarkably resourceful creature, able to cope in a very wide range of different environmental conditions, from sub-tropical regions to icy tundra the red fox is able to find food and keep warm.
In the UK the red fox feeds mainly on small rodents such as field mice, rabbits and voles but will eat almost anything it finds, often eating carrion or preying on new-born lambs in the spring. This resourcefulness is one of the main reasons they’ve been able to populate our towns and cities with great success. They are superb hunters, able to sprint, turn and jump with surprising ease for dog.
Foxes are the smallest members of the dog family, with the adult red fox being around 75cm long from head to tail and weighing around five kilograms fully grown. Environmental conditions determine how long a wild fox lives, usually around 7-10 years but in captivity they can live to a similar age as pet dogs at around 15 years.
Red Foxes mate during the winter months with the pair staying together to act as parents to the new born kits after a gestation period of between 51 and 53 days. The kits are born blind and stay in the den for several weeks before venturing out to play and follow their parents, after three months the cubs are left to fend for themselves, helped by the abundance of food to be found during the long summer months, they receive sexual maturity roughly a year after birth.
Foxes are considered a pest by many farmers although it is difficult to judge their impact on the land, they do provide a service in keeping rabbit and rat numbers in check and are thought to only go after ill and dead lambs. The banning of fox hunting in the UK could actually bring a downturn in foxes due to the potential for increasing numbers being shot or poisoned as hunting never took a major toll on numbers.
The fox is not under threat in any of its range due to the ability to cope well around humans, with urban foxes keeping up mystique of being clever and cunning by being able to eke out a living even in central London and other urban centres.
The Golden Eagle - One of two UK Eagles
The Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is one of two of the UK’s resident eagles, the other being the White-tailed Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). It is the smaller of the two eagles but has a much greater distribution across the British Isles due to the white tailed eagles recent re-introduction after the last bird was shot in 1917.
The Isle of Mull is perfect
eagle territory.
The golden eagle is a majestic bird, often seen circling effortlessly for hours in summer thermals rising off the land. It has a wing span of between 180-220cm and weighs in at a hefty average of around 5kg for a healthy bird. The birds live for as much as thirty years although around twenty is the norm for a wild Golden Eagle.
Golden eagles used to be a fixture in the British countryside over the centuries but were gradually shot into submission in England and nearly wiped out in Scotland thanks to a combination of hunting, poisoning via DDT in their prey and other nasty chemicals. The last remaining pair in England fell apart in 2004 when the female of the pair died and wasn’t able to be replaced, leaving only a solitary male. In Scotland the numbers are much better, with around 450 breeding pairs which is still on the increase. Attempts have been continually made to keep golden eagles in England but aside from the original pair, no young were ever able to grab a foothold.
The golden eagle eats a range of mammals such as rabbits, hares, the odd injured or dead lamb or other similarly immobile larger prey, as well as other occasional animals and carrion. Scotland’s expanses of open ground provide perfect hunting territory for these birds, allowing for fast aerial approaches leaving the prey nowhere to run.
Golden eagles breed for life, staying within a very large territory year in, year out, Often moving between different nests(Eyries) each year to bring up their young. They usually lay two eggs in late winter or early spring which hatch after 45-50 days. Nine times out of ten only one chick survives to leave the nest, occasionally exceptionally good hunting years lead to both birds surviving. After another couple of months the young eagles are ready to leave the eyrie and take their first flights. These young eagle are often mistaken for buzzards because of their similar size and markings.
A great place to see these birds is the Isle of Mull which has a very healthy population of golden eagles as well as a few pairs of white tailed sea eagles. Mulls vast valleys and soaring peaks provide channels through which the birds hunt and glide, making sightings a regular occurrence.
The Common Buzzard - Englands Largest Resident Bird of Prey
The Common Buzzard (Buteo Buteo) is one of the most visible of Britains raptors. This is mainly due to a strong national population and it's large size. On any cross country journey on a clear day you are likely to see them sitting idly on a fence post waiting for a meal to pass by, or soaring lazily in groups of two or more in the afternoon thermals.
In Scotland, because of their size, behavior and markings the Common Buzzard is often mistaken for juvenile Golden Eagles, especially when they are soaring.
Common Buzzards feed mainly on Rabbits but will take just about any small mammal, reptile and often carrion. The birds can occasionally be seen standing proudly on a piece of road kill defending it whilst they eat. Many smaller birds such as crows and Jacdaws see them as a threat and will harry them into moving from a particular tree or area by mobbing them repeatedly until they fly away.
Because of human persecution and the introduction of myxomatosis amongst the rabbit population in the 1950's, buzzards became very scarce, only residing over high ground in the areas such as Brecon in Wales and the Cairngorms in Scotland. As the few surviving rabbits re-produced and became more resistant to the Myxomatosis virus, their numbers increased and with it the population and distribution of buzzards and other birds of prey. Their numbers are thought to be as high as 60,000 pairs throughout the UK, making them the most prevalent of UK birds of prey.
Common Buzzards have a wingspan of 100-130cms, with the females weighing as much as 1.3 kilograms. Males tend to weigh less and as such are the more efficient hunters and fliers.
The female lays between 2 and 4 eggs, sharing the 33-35 day job of incubation with the male bird. The young leave the nest after a couple of months, becoming fully independant at around 5 months, and becoming active breeders after 2-3 years.
Hotspots
Buzzards are to be found throughout much of the UK but are still best found in hilly terrain in the West of the UK, especially in areas with barren open ground. Some good places include Dartmoor and the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire.
A brief glimpse of the Eurasian Badger
The elusive Eurasian Badger (Meles meles) is seen as a rare and lucky treat for those who catch a glimpse. This nocturnal and underground dweller is actually quite common in the British Isles, however rarely ventures out during the day, living in an extensive network of underground tunnels and nests, known as a sett. When emerging in the cover of nightfall they go in search of food, usually venturing into a nearby field or woodland. Badgers are omnivores and a tasty earthworm or juicy bulb will satisfy their hunger along with small mammals, lizards, frogs, insects or young rabbits and birds. Depending on the time of year badgers also feed upon berries, fruits, nuts, roots and cereals if other food sources are short. They are also known to take carrion.
In areas of the UK and Europe where food supplies are plentiful, badgers are social creatures, living within groups of between 4 and 12. There is usually one dominant male (a boar) and female (a sow). The female is likely to be the only breeder of the community, giving birth to two or three cubs a year, around the month of February. The females can display delayed implantation, which means they can hold fertilised eggs in suspended development until the right time for breeding occurs. The gestation period is 7-8 weeks.
The regions badgers live in can be classed as their territory, bordered by latrines and dung pits. As with many wild animals if other groups cross these borders then fierce fights can occur. In other parts of Europe, where food is not so readily available, the badger tends to adopt a more solitary existence, and needs not to mark out a territory.
To recognise the distinct features of the badger is quite easy, if you are lucky enough to catch the flash of black and white before they disappear in a nearby hedgerow. They are heavy set and stocky in body, with short but powerful legs and their paws are adapted with long, sharp claws that are very useful for digging. It is generally believed that they have poor eyesight, but their hearing and sense of smell are excellent.
Another major feature of the badger is its scent glands. Skunks, as we all know excrete a terrible smell when threatened or disturbed. This is also the natural working of the badger. They have the ability to produce a very unpleasant smell through their anal glands when being threatened or giving a warning. These excretions are also used in communication, to mark out territories and to guide badgers around their boundaries by spraying pathways and landmarks. The Eurasian Badger also possesses a gland under the base of its tail, which gives of a slightly better musky scent that can be used in communication and scent marking each other.
Badgers in Britain have in past times been threatened by badger-baiting, a sport in which the badger was attacked by a succession of dogs until it was no longer able to fight and resulted in death. This activity was common throughout middle age Great Britain until an Act of Parliament banned it in 1835. Badger digging was also made illegal in 1973 under the Badger Act. The only thing to threaten the badger population nowadays is any disease within the species, loss of habitat through agriculture and development or road traffic accidents. However, they are well protected by law, the most recent being The Protection of Badgers Act in 1992, and there are many local groups around the country that actively promote and protect this popular charming creature.
Telling the difference between a stoat and a weasel
Aside from a very bad joke on the subject, telling the difference between a stoat(Mustela erminea) and a weasel(Mustela nivalis) is very difficult at a glance, which is what most of us get of these little carnivorous mammals.
Both have a very similar diet and enjoy similar habitats and range around Britain, yet they tend to stay out of each others way if possible. Male and Female stoats and weasels are referred to as a dog and a bitch respectively. The young are called kittens or kits.
Here are a few facts about each:
Weasel Stoat
Size 15-25cm 15-30cm
Weight 50-120g 100-450g
Colour Light brown with pale underside Light brown with pale underside, black tip on tail
UK Distribution All over the UK All over the UK
Further Distribution Most of Europe, parts of Asia, North Africa and North America Much of Northern Europe, not in the Southern Regions
Prey Voles, mice, small rabbits, eggs, birds Voles, Mice, Rabbits, Hares, Birds, Eggs, Chickens etc..
Life Span 3 Years 10 Years
Seasonal Variation None Often turn completely white in winter.
Hibernates No No
Stoats and Weasels are quite different in their reproductive habits, this is probably due to the short life that weasels lead, forcing them to produce offspring as quickly as possible.
The Weasel will raise two litters a year of between 3 and 6 kits in Spring and Summer with the young able to fend for themselves after only 5 weeks, by which time they are already able hunters.
Stoats on the other hand only have one litter per year in Spring but the breeding takes place in early summer of the previous year, with the females able to keep the fertilised egg implanted until it is allowed to gestate. A typical litter size is between 6 and 12 kits.
Neither the stoat or weasel is in any real danger of extinction in the UK, they are however threatened by hunting, habitat loss, poisoning and both often get run over on the country lanes. They do tend to live around farms as the hedgerow habitat and plentiful food supply suits them. This often leads them into conflict with farmers, especially problematic are stoats who are very able at snatching chickens, eggs as well as game birds.
And the joke...
Q. What's the difference between a stoat and weasel?
A. A Weasel is weasily wecognised and a stoat is stoataly different
Wasn't worth the wait was it!
The Long Tailed Field Mouse, or Wood Mouse
The Field Mouse is a generic term for a range of mice in the UK. The true field mouse is the Long Tailed Field Mouse, or Wood Mouse and it is one of our most endearing / or terrifying animals depending on your point of view. It does however provide a vital food source for many of the UK’s carnivorous creatures as well as being a major pest.
As shown in the above picture, they have a dark brown fur with enormous eyes and ears for their size. They grow to about 10cm long and weigh 30 grams or so full grown.
The Wood Mouse will live just about anywhere there is food and shelter. It traditionally roams fields, hedgerows, forests and grass lands where it can find plenty of food. They are omnivorous and will eat a range of seeds, berries, invertebrates, worms, carrion and other similar food. It tends to have a short life in the wild as so many different creatures prey on them, with an average age between 6 and 12 months, although they live longer in captivity and when conditions are favourable.
They can reproduce quite frequently with the gestation period around 25 days. They give birth to between 4 and 7 mice which are soon out on their own after 4 weeks or so. This short parenthood period means that wood mice can reproduce several times per year.
They nest wherever there is cover and warmth, this usually means below ground but they can also be found in hedgerows, buildings, car radiators and other similar dwellings.
They are generally nocturnal animals with superb hearing and vision (hence the large eyes and ears), because of this they are a vital source of food for other larger nocturnal hunters such as owls,
The Bean Goose
The Bean Goose winters on our shores in small numbers in Norfolk and Scotland, with Mid-Yare Nature Reserve being a particularly good spot to see them from October to March.
The Bean Goose breeds in the northern areas of Europe, Scandinavia and Asia over the summer months , often above the tree line in wet, swampy areas with good vegetation cover. Their numbers have been declining over the past 30 years due to a variety of factors, with the global population estimates currently standing at around 200,000 individuals.
The Common Lizard
The Common lizard (Lacerta vivipara) is, as the name suggests, widespread through Britain. Smaller and faster-moving than its relative the Sand lizard, Common lizards are between 10-15cm long, with narrow, pointed heads. Whilst colouration can be variable, typically they are dark or grey-brown, with dark streaks down the body, and white or reddish blotches. To sex Common lizards, it is necessary to view their undersides, as the male has a bright yellow, speckled belly, whilst the female’s is paler and unblemished.
Common lizards can be seen in a wide variety of habitats, such as woodlands, hedgerows, heathland, the banks of ditches and even your own back garden. It is the only species of reptile which is native to Ireland. As with other reptiles, a cheap method to check an area for Common lizards is to leave a metal tray or tin in a warm area, as lizards will often use these to bask on during the spring. They may even use a tray to shelter under in cool weather, or at night.
These cold-blooded creatures hibernate between October and March, in the same way as the Sand lizard, climbing into cracks between rocks and stones. As the weather warms up again in spring, they emerge to bask in the sun and recharge their energy for finding food, which common lizards will generally do once their body temperature reaches 30 degrees Celsius. Their diet includes invertebrates such as earthworms, insects and snails, which they shake in their mouths to stun, before swallowing whole.
Once nicely fed, around April, a lizard’s thoughts will turn to breeding. The behaviour of pregnant Common lizards is fascinating, as they store fertilized eggs in their bodies until almost fully developed, when the young are released in the eggsac, which usually bursts during the birthing process. Such unusual behaviour has led to the Common lizard also being referred to as the Viviparous lizard, which means bearing live young. The young themselves are distinctly darker than their parents, and are around 4cm long.
Despite being wide-spread, like most native British wildlife, the Common lizard is declining in numbers due to a loss of wild spaces, with the building of more houses. However, the species is protected by law, and isn’t listed as endangered yet, so hopefully with encouraging garden features such as flat stones and logs for them to bask on, this needn’t ever be the case.
The Sand Lizard
The Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis) is one of only three species of lizard native to Britain (the others being the Common Lizard and the Slow Worm) and is the rarest of our six reptile species. Usually between 16-20 cm long, compared to the Common Lizard, they are bulkier in build, with a proportionally large head, a blunt snout and a short tail. Their colouration also differs to their common cousins, with females a speckled sandy-brown or grey colour, and males proudly wearing green flanks, which intensify in colour during the breeding season. This makes the males a striking sight on pale British sand dunes, and one well worth the effort of seeking out this summer.
Breeding season occurs in April, with the males displaying their notoriously aggressive behaviour, grabbing their opponent’s neck and fighting by rolling one another over repeatedly. Unlike the common lizard, which stores fertilised eggs in the body until almost fully developed, female sand lizards lay eggs, and are therefore an oviparous species. The females lay between 4-17 eggs in late June or early July, usually in a sandy burrow, and these hatch after 40-60 days.
Sand lizards feed on small invertebrates like spiders, grass hoppers, slugs and insects, but are also willing to indulge in the odd spot of fruit, or flower head. They pursue their food during daylight hours, but are nonetheless difficult creatures to spot due to their intense shyness and their penchant for hiding underground. One tip for finding them, and any other reptile, is to leave a metal tray or tin in a warm area, as, being ectothermic, lizards will often use these to bask on and store energy. They may even use a tray to shelter under in cool weather, or at night. Sand lizards hibernate between October and March, so make the most of the summer to view them.
As the name suggests, sand lizards prefer a dry sandy or heathland habitat. Unfortunately, due to human encroachment onto heathland and the loss of sand dunes during the 20th century, sand lizards are now increasingly rare in Britain, and are protected by law. However, small populations exist in areas such as Dorset, South Hamptonshire (the New Forest), the North Hamptonshire-Surrey border and the sand dunes of South Lancashire. Their range is much wider across most of Europe.
The National Amphibian and Reptile Recording Scheme (NARRS) is currently undertaking a monitoring programme to help increase their numbers. Populations have already been reintroduced by this programme into 62 places in the UK, with a 90% success rate.
Mon Jan 09, 2012 9:12 am
