Completely legless

On a hot summer’s day, it’s not hard to believe that, even in Cumbria, we have our own population of reptiles. Along with the common lizards that are often seen basking by Lakeland paths we have a couple of snakes, the adder and the grass snake. But that’s not all. We also have slow worms. They may be slow, but they are not worms. In fact, they look like snakes. But they’re not snakes either. Confused? You will be. They are, in fact, lizards with no legs. Now that may sound like the kind of sneaky definition a lawyer would come up with, but it’s true.

Slow worms branched off the evolutionary tree separately from the snakes. Their ancestors were lizards with legs, like many of their current relatives. It’s not obvious, but there are a few tell-tale signs. You can’t outstare a snake, but slow worms have eyelids which blink. They also have visible ears and their tongues, which they flick out to taste the air in the same way that we use our sense of smell, are flat, not rounded. They share another unusual characteristic with their leggy lizard cousins. When grabbed by a predator they are able to shed part of their tail in order to escape. They can then regrow the missing part.

Slow worms are smaller than our two snake species, growing to about 40-50cm (16-20 inches) in length. They have scales, but they don’t overlap like a snake’s, so they have a much smoother appearance. Their skin is a golden-grey colour and juveniles can look as if they are made of bronze. Males are paler in colour and sometimes sport blue spots, while females are larger, with dark sides and a dark stripe down the back.

If you have never seen one of these remarkable creatures, don’t be too surprised. Although they will bask in the sun to keep their body temperature up, they are most active around twilight and tend to keep themselves hidden away until then. They are found in a variety of habitats, including mature gardens, where they like to hunt for slugs and other invertebrates.

Slow worms can live a long life, often up to thirty years in the wild. To help them, and encourage them into your garden, pile up a few logs for them to hide beneath, although be careful if you have a cat as they can harm slow worms. If you do give a slow worm a home you’ll be employing a natural slug controller and giving a legless lizard a leg up!

Alasdair McKee

Did you know?

The mating season for slow worms kicks off in May and males become aggressive towards each other. During courtship, the male takes hold of the female by biting her head or neck, and they intertwine their bodies. Courtship may last for as long as 10 hours! Females incubate the eggs internally, ‘giving birth’ to an average of eight young in summer.

As well as being the temporary home of a majestic pair of breeding ospreys, during the summer Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve is also a great place to see reptiles, including adders, common lizards and slow worms. It’s off the A590 near Witherslack and is open daily.