British reptiles.

Part six the sand lizard.

This is the final member of British reptile, although some others have been introduced and i will be talking about these in  a later blog. Male sand lizards are probably at their most vibrant with  a bright green flare of scales on the flanks. Accompanying this colour change they become extremely territorial and the presence of other lizards can trigger all sorts of surprising reactions. More heavily built than the common lizard, the sand lizard has two light stripes, sometimes broken, along their back with dark spots between the stripes. Some of the dark spots have pale centres. The male is a greenish colour and the female is a brownish colour, They are both about seven inches in length including their tail. Dry, open country is the home of the sand lizard, mainly the sandy heaths of Hampshire,surrey and dorset. Although there is a small colony living on coastal dunes near Liverpool. The sand lizards population has struggled in recent years as their habitat has given way to farming and forestry. The heath habitat that they live in has to be continually managed to stop trees coning through and the heath reverting back to a woodland habitat. In some areas livestock may be used or deers mat perform the same role to manage the habitat. The sand lizard emerges from its hibernating burrow in march or early April. They may be seen taking in solar radiation in the early hours of the morning. Males normally emerge first, Their winter coat will soon be shed for their new spring breeding colours so they can attract females. In April and may the males will fight for territories and dominance, One adult male may display its flank to intimidate an opponent. The victors will earn the right to then mate with the emerging females, who will show her aggression by opening her mouth and raising and shaking her forefeet alternately, Only mating when she is ready. The male then chases the female before mating and grips her first by the tail, then further forward and finally by the middle of the back. After mating the female then digs a hole in late may or early June. The hole will be dug in a sunny place, Where the sand is soft, then lays her eggs and covers them up. The oval shaped eggs, about half an inch long, hatch after two or three months in late July or early August. The newly hatched are just like the adult lizards but are only about two and a half inches long, they grow rapidly before they hibernate as well at the same time as the adults. The young sand lizards can be distinguished from common lizards by their more conspicuous spots. Beetles,spiders and grasshoppers are their main food, they are often dismembered before being eaten, they feed well during summer to build up reserves in readies for hibernation in late Autumn or early Winter. Sand lizards take about two years to reach maturity, they may live upto about seven or eight years in the wild if they escape the snakes,rats or birds of prey that all prey on them.