As Ecologists, discussing wildlife with interested passersby and clients alike, we tend to get all sort of reactions, from keen knowledge on our native species to genuine surprise about what creatures we’re on the lookout for. And, of all the species we deal with, it is native reptiles that often generate the biggest reaction.
Reptiles are often seen as something tropical and exotic, found in bright colours and in humid jungles or swamps. When people think of our often-rainy little island, it’s understandably hard to picture such vibrant little creatures being entirely at home in our native landscapes.
Believe it or not, we have six reptile species native to Great Britain, with three species of lizard and three species of snake.
As it can get a little chilly here, these reptiles have a very different life to their tropical counterparts, utilising sunny spots where they can and brumating * in the winter to avoid the worst of the cold and a lack of prey. Four of our six species internally incubate their young as an amazing adaptation to circumnavigate our temperate climate.
Lizards
| Species | Habitat |
|---|
| Common Lizard (Zootoca vivipara) – innocuous little lizards with speedy reflexes and bright orange-bellied males. |
Widespread – found in long grass with connectivity to other suitable areas |
| Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis) – a very rare, sand-loving reptile with bright green flanked males in the spring. |
Very locally restricted to coastal sand dunes and good quality sandy heathland |
| Slow Worm (Anguis fragilis) – a legless lizard species with a love of eating slugs and other pests, and a glossy complexion. |
Widespread – found anywhere from gardens to allotment. |
Snakes
| Species | Habitat |
|---|
| Grass Snake (Natrix Helvetica) – our longest snake species, who have a love of the water and a fearful character. |
Widespread – often hard to find and associated with compost piles (for egg laying) and waterbodies. |
| Adder (Vipera berus) – likely our most well-known reptile species due to its venomous bite, however, this species is often very calm and shy when not threatened. |
Locally restricted to heathland, largely. |
| Smooth Snakes (Coronella austriaca) – our rarest reptile due to its habitat requirements, with a diet consisting largely of sand lizards. |
Very locally restricted good quality heathland with a combination of wet and dry areas. |
Smooth Snake capture, release and tracking
As our rarest native reptile species, Smooth snakes (Coronella austriaca) are a rather interesting and illusive bunch. These snakes are quite selective when it comes to their habitat requirements, preferring a mixture of degenerate dry and moist heathland with high structural diversity and abundance of lichen-covered hidey-holes, as well as their prey, which largely comprises our second rarest native species the sand lizard (Lacerta agilis). Due to these factors, they are a particularly regionally restricted, with populations in the heathlands of Hampshire, Surrey, West Sussex and Dorset.
As many of the areas in which this species can be found are often protected wildlife sites, our professional interaction with smooth snakes is often very limited. So, when we do get the opportunity to work with these wonderful creatures, and help create their illusive and specialised habitat, we relish it.
In traditional reptile surveys, ‘artificial refugia’ - squares of roofing felt or metal that absorb heat - are deployed in suitable habitats for reptiles and checked in spring or autumn. To establish presence/likely absence for reptiles, a minimum of seven surveys are required, during which the number and maturity of each reptile found on the survey are noted.
On a heathland site in Hampshire, we have surveyed smooth snake in a rather unique way compared to our other surveys. In this instance, we needed to establish population size of the site, and using the traditional method, would have required a minimum of twenty surveys per survey season.
However, much like zebra, smooth snakes have unique patterns along their back that allow you to identify individuals. These stripes and dots were catalogued on all the smooth snakes we found, along with their sexes and locations, over three seasons. This condensed the process hugely, saving hundreds of hours of person power and also significantly reducing our exposure to ticks, an occupational hazard on this particular site.
After each successful season, we reviewed all the photographs of the individual smooth snakes recorded. Over the course of the survey work at the site, 103 individual snakes were identified, of which 58 were adults and the remaining 45 were a mixture of neonates and juveniles/sub-adults. Of these 58 adults, 38 were recaptured on at least one occasion, and 14 were recaptured in different survey seasons.
We separated the site into sectors and tracked the movement of all the snakes over the years, identifying key commuting routes for the species. Interestingly, and in line with academic research, these snakes are highly sedentary, with individuals typically being recaptured within the same heathland patches. One snake was found under the same artificial refugia for all three survey seasons!
The culmination of those three years of surveying and data collation helped inform our mitigation and compensation for the proposed minerals scheme. Once planning permission is granted, we will oversee up-front heathland creation and enhancement, phased and sectional directional clearance and long-term habitat management and population monitoring conducted under a licence by Natural England.
*Brumation is a state of suspended animation undertaken by reptiles and amphibians, where their heart rate slows however the animal is still semi alert. Unlike hibernation, they can wake up occasionally should conditions be right. This function occurs in winter and is for the conservation of energy during colder months.
