List of reptiles of Great Britain

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The reptiles of Great Britain include three native snakes and three native lizards. A number of sea turtles visit Great Britain's shores. There are also at least seven introduced reptile species.

Contents

Snakes (Serpentes)

ImageNameHead (dorsal)Head (lateral)Distribution
European Adder (Vipera berus) (7345075454).jpg Common adder
(Vipera berus) [1] 		The snakes of Europe (fig. 35.2 - Vipera berus).png The snakes of Europe (fig. 35.1 - Vipera berus).png Vipera berus range in the UK.png
Grass Snake (Natrix natrix) juvenile (found by Jean NICOLAS) (35343417922).jpg Barred grass snake
(Natrix helvetica) [2] [lower-alpha 1] 		The snakes of Europe (fig. 16.2 - Natrix natrix).png The snakes of Europe (fig. 16.1 - Natrix natrix).png Natrix helvetica range in the UK.png
Schlingnatter im Geo-Naturpark Bergstrasse-Odenwald.jpg Smooth snake
(Coronella austriaca) [4] 		The snakes of Europe (fig. 27.2 - Coronella austriaca).png The snakes of Europe (fig. 27.1 - Coronella austriaca).png Coronella austriaca range in the UK.png

Lizards (Lacertilia)

ImageNameDistribution
Anguis fragilis - head.jpg Slow worm
(Anguis fragilis) [5] [6] 		Anguis fragilis range in the UK.png
Mooreidechse (49341884).jpeg Viviparous lizard
(Zootoca vivipara) [7] 		Zootoca vivipara range in the UK.png
Lacerta agilis male 2013 G4.jpg Sand lizard
(Lacerta agilis)		 Lacerta agilis range in the UK.png

Sea turtles (Chelonioidea)

ImageNameDistribution
Close up of dermochelys coriacea leatherback turtle.jpg Leatherback sea turtle
(Dermochelys coriacea)		 Dermochelys coriacea map.svg Foraging [8]
Loggerhead Turtle.jpg Loggerhead sea turtle
(Caretta caretta)		 Cypron-Range Caretta caretta.svg Vagrant [9]
Friendly Green Sea Turtle (48940725538).jpg Green sea turtle
(Chelonia mydas)		 Green turtle nesting sites.svg Vagrant [10]
Eretmochelys-imbricata-Kelonia-2.JPG Hawksbill sea turtle
(Eretmochelys imbricata)		 Hawksbill turtle range map.png Vagrant [10]
Lepidochelys kempii.jpg Kemp's ridley sea turtle
(Lepidochelys kempii)		 Lepidochelys kempii distribution map.jpg Vagrant [10]
Lepidochelys-olivacea-Kelonia-1.JPG Olive ridley sea turtle
(Lepidochelys olivacea)		 Lieux pontes tortue olivatre.png Vagrant [11]

Introduced species

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slow worm</span> Species of legless lizard

The slowworm is a legless lizard native to western Eurasia. It is also called a deaf adder,slow worm, blindworm, or regionally, a long-cripple and hazelworm. The "blind" in blindworm refers to the lizard's small eyes, similar to a blindsnake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grass snake</span> Species of snake

The grass snake, sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake, is a Eurasian semi-aquatic non-venomous colubrid snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fauna of England</span> Native animals of England

The fauna of England is similar to that of other areas British Isles and lies within the Palearctic realm. England's fauna is mainly made up of small animals and is notable for having few large mammals, but in similarity with other island nations; many bird species.

In the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, Carl Linnaeus described the Amphibia as:

Animals that are distinguished by a body cold and generally naked; stern and expressive countenance; harsh voice; mostly lurid color; filthy odor; a few are furnished with a horrid poison; all have cartilaginous bones, slow circulation, exquisite sight and hearing, large pulmonary vessels, lobate liver, oblong thick stomach, and cystic, hepatic, and pancreatic ducts: they are deficient in diaphragm, do not transpire (sweat), can live a long time without food, are tenatious of life, and have the power of reproducing parts which have been destroyed or lost; some undergo a metamorphosis; some cast (shed) their skin; some appear to live promiscuously on land or in the water, and some are torpid during the winter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barred grass snake</span> Species of snake

The barred grass snake is a non-venomous colubrid snake from Western Europe, living in and close to water. It was included within the grass snake species, Natrix natrix, until August 2017, when genetic analysis led to its reclassification as a separate species.

References

  1. ↑ "Adder". Woodland Trust . Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  2. 1 2 Carolin Kindler; Maxime Chèvre; Sylvain Ursenbacher; Wolfgang Böhme; Axel Hille; Daniel Jablonski; Melita Vamberger; Uwe Fritz (7 August 2017), "Hybridization patterns in two contact zones of grass snakes reveal a new Central European snake species", Scientific Reports, 7 (1), Nature: Article number: 7378, Bibcode:2017NatSR...7.7378K, doi:10.1038/s41598-017-07847-9, PMC   5547120 , PMID   28785033
  3. ↑ Angela Julian (22 August 2017). "What does the re-classification of European grass snakes mean for our native grass snakes?". Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  4. ↑ "Smooth snake | The Wildlife Trusts". www.wildlifetrusts.org. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  5. ↑ Václav Gvozˇ dík, David Jandzik, Petros Lymberakis, Daniel Jablonski, Jirˇ í Moravec (2010). "Slow worm, Anguis fragilis (Reptilia: Anguidae) as a species complex: Geneticstructure reveals deep divergences". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 55 (2): 460–472. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.007. PMID   20079858 . Retrieved 1 April 2022.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ "Slow worm". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  7. ↑ "Common lizard". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
  8. ↑ Rhodin 2011 , p. 000.174
  9. ↑ Rhodin 2011 , p. 000.172
  10. 1 2 3 Inns, Howard (2009) Britain's Reptiles and Amphibians, Wildguides.
  11. ↑ "Olive ridley turtle found injured off Seaford beach". BBC News. 19 January 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
  12. ↑ Rhodin 2011 , p. 000.183
  13. ↑ Wildlife of Britain The Definitive Visual Guide. Dorling Kindersley. 2011. p. 168. ISBN   978-1-4053-6709-7.
  14. ↑ "Terrapin". Canal & River Trust. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  15. ↑ "Common Wall Lizard". Surrey Amphibian and Reptile Group (SARG). Archived from the original on 5 January 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  16. ↑ Pete Hill (19 November 2020). Alien species of amphibian and reptile in the UK (YouTube video). Amphibian and Reptile Conservation on YouTube.
  17. ↑ Amphibians and Reptiles. HarperCollins. 2000. ISBN   978-0-00-220083-7.
  18. ↑ "Wild snake caught on film in north Wales". BBC. 16 May 2006.
  19. ↑ Loeb, Josh (2 September 2010). "Feature: 'The Camden Creature' - An amphibian and reptile trust says our waterways are alive with some exotic creatures". Islington Tribune . Archived from the original on 5 September 2010.
  20. ↑ "Britain's biggest snake - missing from UK for 10,000 years - now back and breeding". Daily Mirror . 11 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  21. ↑ Julian, Angela (8 March 2021). "Enter the Natrix: surveying grass snakes in eastern England by Steve Allain". ARG UK. Retrieved 28 December 2021.

Notes

  1. ↑ Previously referred to as Natrix natrix helvetica ) [2] [3]
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