Common Lizard - Froglife

Home » What Does The Common Lizard Eat » Common Lizard - Froglife

Maybe your like

6 Common Lizard 10 Common Lizard (Roy Hamilton) Common Lizard 9 Sub-adult Common Lizard (Rob Williams) Common Lizard 8 A newly hatched Common Lizard (Jules Howard) Common Lizard 7 Male Common Lizard hiding (Rob Williams) Common Lizard 6 Male Common Lizard (Jessica Heikkinen) Common Lizard 5 Female Common Lizard (Rob Williams) Common Lizard 4 Common Lizard (Rob Williams) Common Lizard 3 A Common Lizard basking (Rob Williams) Common Lizard 1 Common Lizard (Ray Hamilton)

Common Lizard (Zootoca vivipara)

Identification Adults up to 15 cm in length (including tail). Males have a larger head and slimmer body than females, and prominent swelling at the base of the tail. Usually a shade of brown but colour variants include yellow, green and black. Pattern of spots and/or stripes down the back. Males have a yellow/orange belly with black spots. Females have a pale, unspotted belly. Often mistaken for newts. Lizards have scaly, rather than smooth, skin and move away very quickly when disturbed.
Distribution Native to the UK. Widespread throughout the UK, including Ireland, but numbers thought to be declining. Found throughout central and northern Europe.
Ecology Essentially a ground-dweller but may be seen climbing. Favours open sunny places and dry, exposed locations near to dense cover. Feed on worms, slugs and insects.
Predators and other threats Can drop its tail if caught by a predator. Numbers thought to be declining in the UK due to habitat loss and degradation.

A year in the life…Spring

Adult lizards emerge from their hibernation sites in early spring. Mating takes place around April.

Summer

Females incubate the eggs inside themselves and ‘give birth’ to up to 11 live young around July/August. Juvenile lizards are tiny – less than 5cm long – and are darker in colour than the adults.

Autumn

Lizards spend the next couple of months feeding up on invertebrates in preparation for winter.

They feed on worms, slugs and insects and give their prey a good shake, to stun it, before swallowing.

Winter

Common Lizards hibernate, often in groups, amongst rocks or dead wood generally between November and March. They may take advantage of milder patches of weather to come out and forage.

Studies and Actions from Conservation Evidence

The information below is from the Conservation Evidence website.

Studies and Actions from Conservation Evidence in detail

Action Effectiveness Link Froglife Advice
Create artificial refuges, hibernacula, and aestivation sites Awaiting assessment https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/3720 https://www.froglife.org/learning-zone/wildlife-at-home/
Translocate reptiles away from threats: snakes and lizards Awaiting assessment https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/3731
Clear or open patches in forests Awaiting assessment https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/3715
Create uncultivated margins around arable or pasture fields Awaiting assessment https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/3518
Coppice trees Awaiting assessment https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/3629
Cease livestock grazing: grassland and shrubland Awaiting assessment https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/3498
Create or restore forests Awaiting assessment https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/3749
Protect brownfield or ex-industrial sites in urban areas Awaiting assessment https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/3478
Relocate nests/eggs for artificial incubation Awaiting assessment https://www.conservationevidence.com/actions/3798

Tag » What Does The Common Lizard Eat