Ignorance of the habitats requirements of
reptiles and even their existence in some
areas is a significant threat. Sympathetic
people may unwittingly destroy populations
of reptiles as a result.
LEGALLY PROTECTED
Sand lizards and smooth snakes are given
special protection under the Wildlife and
Countryside Act 1981. It is illegal to kill,
collect or even handle these species unless
you have a licence to do so. Grass snakes,
adders, common lizards and slow worms are
protected from deliberate injury or killing or
selling without a licence. However, reptile
habitats are not always protected.
slow worm
A KENT WILDLIFE TRUST INFORMATION SHEET
REPTILES
One hundred million years ago, dinosaurs were the rulers of the planet
Earth. They were the ancestors of today's reptiles and at the time
comprised sixteen major groups, occupying almost every kind of habitat.
Today there are around 6,000 species in the world, over 90% being lizards
and snakes. There are also the crocodilians, the turtles, the tortoises, and the
tuataras - the latter comprising just one species found in rocky islets off
New Zealand.
YOU CAN HELP
Please let the Kent and Medway Biological
Records Centre have your records of reptiles,
past and present, in Kent. The more we
know, the more we can act on their defence.
Join the Kent Reptile and Amphibian Group,
and play an active part in conservation and
survey work.
Put in a good word for reptiles! Changing
public attitudes towards them is an important
step forward in their protection.
Tel: 01622 662012
Head Office: Tyland Barn, Sandling, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 3BD
Fax: 01622 671390 www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk [email protected]
Registered Charity No.239992
A company limited by guarantee No. 633098
VAT Reg No. 974 8423 78
Your Living Landscape. Your Living Seas.
11 2010
British Reptiles
Mainland Britain has only six native
species, although turtles are occasionally
seen or washed up around our shores. This
dearth of species relative to continental
Europe is presumably due to the separation of
land masses by rising seas after the last ice
age. Climate may also have a role in this
species such as green lizard, wall lizard and
European pond turtle have been introduced
but have been introduced but have seldom
become established.
The most endangered of the British species
are the smooth snake and the sand lizard. The
snake is confined to heathlands of central
southern Englandwhile the lizard is also found
on sand dunes around Merseyside. Sand
lizards have been recorded in Kent in the past
but it is unlikely that they survive in the county
today outside re-introduction areas.
The remaining four species are
widespread in the county although they
are all in decline.
COMMON LIZARD is also called the
viviparous lizard since it gives birth to live
young. The eggs actually hatch just before
birth and the young are often encased in a thin
membrane from which they have to emerge.
Heathlands are a stronghold but railway
cuttings and road verges are also favoured
haunts. Good south facing basking sites are
important.
SLOW WORMS are legless lizards. Their skin
is made up of tiny smooth scales which give a
sleek polished appearance. They are often
found in association with ant colonies. Like the
common lizard they can defend themselves by
shedding their tail. The severed organ may
then continue to move for some minutes while
the lizard itself scuttles off. They are probably
the most common urban reptile but are
particularly vulnerable to being killed
accidentally by land clearance and even by
grass cutting.
GRASS SNAKE is the largest British reptile,
sometimes exceeding 1.5 metres in length.
They are good swimmers and live chiefly in
wetland habitats. Female grass snakes lay
30-40 eggs under decaying logs, in piles of
grass mowings and in manure heaps, making
use of the heat created by decomposition.
The snakes often group together to breed
and 1200 eggs were one found in one ‘nest’.
Wetland drainage and infilling, and
the disappearance of manure heaps have
contributed to a drastic population decline
in grass snakes since 1945.
ADDER is recognised by the dark
zig-zag patterns along its back. In general
the colour of the male is greyish and the
female is brownish. Variation is
considerable however and some individuals
are almost black. Although venomous they
present little danger to humans unless
provoked and in fact are rarely seen at all.
Sunny banks on heathlands and grasslands
are favoured haunts of this species.
FOOD AND FEEDING
The six British species eat a very wide
range of food including each other.
Slow worms eat worms, spiders and insects
but slugs are its favourite food - 17 are
recorded eaten at one sitting. Snails may
also be eaten, the animal being gripped by
its head and pulled out of its shell. The other
two lizards feed on all kinds of insects and
spiders. The sand lizard is slightly larger and
will take larger prey than the common lizard.
Prey is usually stunned or killed before being
eaten, and the legs and wing cases of
grasshoppers and beetles discarded.
The three snakes each have their
preference, although they will eat a wide
range of foods. Adders take primarily voles,
shrews and mice but also young birds and
lizards. Even birds eggs, newts, slugs and
insects may be eaten. Grass snakes have a
strong preference for frogs, with newts, fish,
tadpoles and toads taken to a lesser degree.
Once again, other foods are occasionally
exploited, including rodents, birds and
insects. Smooth snakes main food item is
lizards, including the rare sand lizard: rodents
and younger snakes are frequently eaten.
Birds, foxes, hedgehogs and badgers are all
frequent predators. Hibernating specimens
may be killed and eaten by rodents.
CONSERVATION
MANAGEMENT FOR
REPTILES
Reptiles do not usually travel far, at least in
human terms. Sites of a few hectares can
therefore make important contributions to
reptile conservation, if managed in an
appropriate fashion.
Some scrub clearance may be
necessary to maintain heathland or
grassland, and to ensure retention of
basking areas.
On heathlands, areas of mature heather
surrounded by firebreaks are of great
value, especially for the rare species
Restoration of old ponds and creation
of new ones will help grass snakes.
Dredged weed should be left on the
bank as a nesting site and source of
food for hatchlings.
Compost heaps can be built as grass
snake nesting sites. They should be
constructed on logs or stones to allow an
airflow into the heap.
THE LAST OF THE
REPTILES?
Our remaining reptiles face many threats
today. The greatest must be loss of habitat.
Heathland and chalk grassland have been
ploughed or else lost to shrub through
neglect. Ponds and marshes have been
drained or polluted. Many open sites have
been developed for housing industry.
Land management activities such as fire and
especially spraying if insecticides may have
had a devastating effect in some areas. With
populations reduced to low levels, human
persecution and collecting for the pet trade
can become serious threats to a populations
continued existence.