| Common lizard - Lacerta vivipara - Family: Lacertidae
 Common lizard - Lacerta vivipara© Dr Chris Gibson/English NatureThe common lizard is a small reptile averaging about 13cm in length. Females are slightly larger and stockier. The species is very variable in colour but often has an olive green-brown body with marked ridges and a reddish belly. However, individuals can be as dark as a deep-purple brown or as light as a yellowish grey. Common lizards are generally either completely motionless or moving so fast that they are hard to follow. They are still widespread throughout much of Britain and Ireland, living in grassland, heaths, sandy areas and moors. This lizard feeds on invertebrates and hibernates from October to March. The female gives birth to live young in July or August. Like other reptiles, common lizards are cold-blooded and rely on the sun's heat to raise their body temperature. They can therefore often be found basking, especially on surfaces which readily absorb and retain heat, such as tree stumps and log piles, large stones and even discarded car tyres! Gardens near sandy areas are probably most likely to support common lizards, but they can and do turn up in some surprising parts of the country. Beware, though, of confusing newts with lizards! There are some very superficial similarities but the speed of the lizard's movement alone should be enough to distinguish it from any newt. FoodSpiders and insects including flies, moths, beetles and ants. PreyAnts, Beetles, Common green grasshopper, Field grasshopper, Flies, Meadow grasshopper, Moths, Slugs and snails, Spiders and harvestmen PredatorsGrass snake, Hedgehog, Kestrel, Little owl |
