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.
Snakes (Serpentes)
[edit]| Image | Name | Head (dorsal) | Head (lateral) | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Common adder (Vipera berus)[1] |
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_juvenile_(found_by_Jean_NICOLAS)_(35343417922).jpg) |
Barred grass snake (Natrix helvetica)[2][a] |
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Smooth snake (Coronella austriaca)[4] |
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Lizards (Lacertilia)
[edit]| Image | Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
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Slow worm (Anguis fragilis)[5][6] |
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Viviparous lizard (Zootoca vivipara)[7] |
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Sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) |
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Sea turtles (Chelonioidea)
[edit]| Image | Name | Distribution | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) |
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Foraging[8] |
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Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) |
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Vagrant[9] |
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Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) |
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Vagrant[10] |
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Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) |
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Vagrant[10] |
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Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) |
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Vagrant[10] |
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Olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) |
 |
Vagrant[11] |
Pond turtles (Emydidae)
[edit]| Image | Name | Distribution | |
|---|---|---|---|
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European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) |
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Extirpated - currently extinct in Britain but the rewilding organisation, Celtic Rewilding, aims to reintroduce them by 2026.[12] |
Introduced species
[edit]- Red-eared slider, Trachemys scripta elegans[13][14]
- Mediterranean house gecko, Hemidactylus turcicus[15]
- Common wall lizard, Podarcis muralis[16]
- Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus[17]
- Western green lizard, Lacerta bilineata - possible extirpated native[18][19]
- Aesculapian snake, Zamenis longissimus[20][21][22] – former native (Pleistocene)
- Grass snake, Natrix natrix[23]
- Note that a variety of other freshwater turtles have been introduced to the UK.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Adder". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- 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
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Smooth snake | The Wildlife Trusts". www.wildlifetrusts.org. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ↑ 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. Bibcode:2010MolPE..55..460G. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.007. hdl:11104/0186646. PMID 20079858. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ "Slow worm". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ↑ "Common lizard". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ↑ Rhodin 2011, p. 000.174
- ↑ Rhodin 2011, p. 000.172
- 1 2 3 Inns, Howard (2009) Britain's Reptiles and Amphibians, Wildguides.
- ↑ "Olive ridley turtle found injured off Seaford beach". BBC News. 19 January 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
- ↑ "Terrapin". Canal & River Trust. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
- ↑ Rhodin 2011, p. 000.183
- ↑ Wildlife of Britain The Definitive Visual Guide. Dorling Kindersley. 2011. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-4053-6709-7.
- ↑ Da Silva, Sarah-Marie; Maka, Anna; Hartman, Thomas; Valero, Katharina Wollenberg; Gilbert, Edward (2024). "Two established introduced populations of the synanthropic gecko Hemidactylus turcicus (Linnaeus, 1758) in England". Herpetology Notes. 17: 407–410. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
- ↑ "Common Wall Lizard". Surrey Amphibian and Reptile Group (SARG). Archived from the original on 5 January 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
- ↑ Pete Hill (19 November 2020). Alien species of amphibian and reptile in the UK (YouTube video). Amphibian and Reptile Conservation on YouTube.
- ↑ Amphibians and Reptiles. HarperCollins. 2000. ISBN 978-0-00-220083-7.
- ↑ "Alien Species in Britain: The Green lizard (Lacerta viridis + L. Bilineata)". 5 January 2013.
- ↑ "Wild snake caught on film in north Wales". BBC. 16 May 2006.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Britain's biggest snake – missing from UK for 10,000 years – now back and breeding". Daily Mirror. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ↑ Julian, Angela (8 March 2021). "Enter the Natrix: surveying grass snakes in eastern England by Steve Allain". ARG UK. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
Notes
[edit]External links
[edit]- British Reptiles from wildlifetrust.org.uk
- RAUK Identification Guide
- Rhodin, Anders G.J.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Inverson, John B.; Shaffer, H. Bradley; Roger, Bour (31 December 2011). "Turtles of the world, 2011 update: Annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution and conservation status" (PDF). Chelonian Research Monographs. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 January 2012.
- Wilkinson, J.W., Baker, J. and Foster, J. Priorities for Non-Native Amphibians and Reptiles in the UK. ARC Research Report 11/02.
