Wednesday 21 November 2012

Kenilworth Common Reptiles

Preview of featured illustration from forthcoming Kenilworth Common interpretation project


Lacerta vivipara / Zootoca vivipara - the Common Lizard, also known as the Viviparous Lizard, viviparous meaning the female incubates the eggs inside her body and gives birth to live young.

Look for them on top of logs, sun basking in spring and autumn on open ground. You need a keen eye, they’re small and fast. Hibernates in burrows under logs and rocks in the cold, usually emerging in April. The external ears without flappy bits, blunt head and tail are adapted for a snug fit away from the elements and predators, a vital ability if you’re poikilothermic. They’ve been on the planet longer than snakes.

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