13/04/2006
It MUST be Spring... this slow worm has just woken up from hibernation and is looking for a mate!
Often thought to be a grass snake, the slow worm isn't actually a snake at all. It's a legless lizard.
They are not usually seen in the open during daylight, so we were suprised to find this one on the forest path at Fineshade wood. Perhaps the damage to its skin is the sign of a predator attack.
Slow worms like usually like humid conditions and emerge from their hiding places at dusk or after rain to hunt for food. They spend the winter hibernating under piles of leaves or within tree roots. If attacked by a predator, a slow worm can shed its tail to escape, although it never grows back fully.
They're perfectly harmless - except to slugs, snails, spiders, insects and earthworms, which are its staple diet.
Slow-worms are usually around 30-40cm long with a shiny body which looks as though it has been varnished, The female is golden brown with a black stripe along the back of her body. The male is a brownish grey colour and has no stripe, although sometimes they have small blue spots on the sides of their body. Young slow-worms are a golden colour with a black line. Unlike snakes, slow-worms have ear holes and moving eyelids.
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