Latest news with #leglesslizard
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Slithering slow worm spotted moving through Southampton garden
A slow worm has been spotted slithering in a garden in a district near Southampton this week. Daily Echo Camera Club member Robert Headland posted a picture of a female slow worm on social media, explaining that he had found the "gorgeous" creature at his house. Despite looking eerily similar to a snake, a slow worm is a separate legless lizard, and Robert snapped a picture of it on Tuesday. It is common to see these creatures between March and October, according to the Hampshire Wildlife Trust. READ MORE: Abandoned cat who 'actively' avoids people is looking for loving new home A spokesperson said: "They are often found in mature gardens and allotments, where they like hunting around the compost heap. "However, if you have a cat, you are unlikely to find them in your garden as cats predate them. "Like other reptiles, slow worms spend the winter in a dormant, hibernation-like state known as brumation, usually from October to March." The slow worm is different from a snake due to its ability to shed its tail and blink with its eyelids.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Snake-like reptile spotted slithering through garden in Worcester
AN EAGLE-eyed photographer spotted a snake-like reptile as it slithered through his garden. Worcester News Camera Club member Brian Smith snapped what he described as "quite a large" slow worm in his garden in Worcester. Despite its remarkable similarity to a snake, the creature is known as a legless lizard. Snakes and legless lizards have several key differences including legless lizards possessing ears and eyelids, and being much smaller than snakes. Slow worms typically grow no bigger than 50cm, while Britain's largest snake, the grass snake can be as long as 150cm. The lizard favours humid conditions and shaded areas such as grassland, heathland and the edges of woodlands. Slow worms are also protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it a criminal offence to injure, kill or sell one of the creatures.
