Common name: Sand Lizard
Also known as: Sandlizard
Scientific name: Lacerta agilis
Size: Up to 25cm
Colour: Light belly and light brown back, darker blotches run the length of the body. In the mating season the males turn darker, and have bright green stripes down either side of their body and green belly and legs (see picture to the right).
Description
A robust lizard that spends a lot of time lazing in the sun (to warm up) and chasing small insects to eat. It's numbers have fallen dramatically in the UK, due to loss of habitat.
Distribution
This lizard is very rare in the UK, but we are very lucky that one of the places it is still found is near to Corfe Mullen on the sandy lowland heaths, such as Corfe Hills and Upton Heath.
Diet
Insects, worms, slugs and if they are desperate they will eat their own young!
Habitat
Sandy heathland. It lays it's eggs in sand which is in a sunny position. The sand helps to keep the buried eggs warm. As most of Corfe Mullen used to be sandy heathland, there is the chance that they are in other areas around Corfe Mullen that we don't know about.
Did you know
Sand Lizards are protected by Law and you must not disturb them in any way or disturb their habitat, or kill, injure or capture them.
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