Course 2

Why are reptiles important?

There are four native species of reptile in Yorkshire - common lizard (Lacerta vivpara), slow-worm (Anguis fragilis), adder (Vipera berus) and grass snake (Natrix natrix). Reptiles are good indicators of the state of our environment, in fact the adder has been recently adopted by English Nature as an indicator species for the Yorkshire and Humber region, therefore it is essential that we know where they are and what their status is. NEYEDC only had access to casual sightings of adder from the 1970s and 1980s, and therefore this group of animals seemed to be very much under-recorded.

Common lizard

about 12cm long
usually brown but colour varies

common lizard

common lizard © James Mortimer

Slow-worm

resembles snake but is actually a legless lizard
up to 50cm long
cylindrical body
silvery appearance

slow-worm © James Mortimer

Adder

zig zag pattern along back
usually less than 80cm long

adder © James Mortimer

Grass snake

yellow collar behind head
green/ grey/ brown colour with black markings on sides
about 1m long

Reptiles on the North Yorks Moors

In 2003 NEYEDC set up a reptile survey at three sites on the North York Moors. The aim of this was to provide up-to-date information on presence of reptile species using systematic survey methodology.

Three sites were studied, each with different habitats and management, all considered suitable for reptiles. Common lizard, adder and slow-worm were recorded during the survey. The results will help update and improve our knowledge of reptile distribution in the area and will also assist the site managers with their management plans.

Future surveys

The North York Moors reptile survey was intended to act as a pilot, which we intend to continue and expanding upon in subsequent years.

If you see a snake or lizard, we would very much like to hear about it. Please fill in the species recording form or contact NEYEDC.

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