UK Reptiles & Amphibians Flashcards
What is this?
Smooth snake
It can easily be recognised because it has a large dark heart-shaped patch on the top of its head. It also has a black stripe on each side of its face. The male Smooth Snake is a brownish red colour and the female is greyish green.
50-70cm long
very rare snake that can only be found in limited parts of England in Dorset, Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex. It lives on heathlands that have dense vegetation and light sandy soil. It needs sandy soil so it can dig a burrow to hide and rest in
NOT venomous, coils itself around prey to kill it
What is this?
Grass Snake
largest of the three snakes found in England. - up to a metre in length
ound throughout the country in marshes, fens, bogs and also in woodlands and meadows that have water nearby. It is sometimes known as the Water Snake because it spends a lot of time in water
usually has a green coloured body with small black markings running down the length of it. It is also called the Ringed Snake because it has a yellow band behind its head. The yellow band can be seen quite clearly when the Grass Snake is in water.
What is this?
Adder
brown or black zigzag pattern running down the length of its back. Another noticeable feature of the Adder is a āVā shaped marking on the back of its head.
Venomous! known as a viper
No one has died from adder bite in Britain for over 20 years. With proper treatment, the worst effects are nausea and drowsiness, followed by severe swelling and bruising in the area of the bite
60-75cm females bigger than males
common in areas of rough, open countryside and are often associated with woodland edge habitats.
What is this?
Common Lizard
It likes to live in areas that have open sunny spaces such as on heaths, moors, sea cliffs, grassland. It can even be found on railway embankments.
ong slender body and a long tail. It is normally a bronze-brown colour with rows of small black spots running down the length of its body. It can also be green, grey or a reddish brown. The male Common Lizard usually has a yellow-orange belly with black spots and the female usually has a creamy-white belly without spots.
What is this?
Sand Lizard
can only be found in Dorset and Surrey in undisturbed heathlands with thick vegetation and bare patches of sand. Sand Lizards need thick vegetation to go hunting for food and bare patches of sand to bury their eggs.
short stocky body and a long tail. The male is normally brown, but around April time it develops bright green coloured sides. It also has a dark stripe down the middle of its back. The stripe consists of darker patches which have a white dot in each patch. The female looks similar to the male, but is a pale grey or light brown colour without the green sides.
What is this?
Palmate Newt
Tailed Amphibian-Smooth velvety skin, more tolerant of acidic waters than the Smooth Newt. bioindicator
Dorsal surface and flanks, Females - yellowish to olive brown, with dark freckling.
Males - Olive brown, spotted and marbled with darker colours which may fuse to form two lines along the back
Ventral surface, uniform creamy yellow or orange occasionally some brown spotting on the belly.
The throat is pure white or pinkish and rarely spotted.
Dark stripe passing through the eye on either side of the head
Length: The smallest of our native newts, 7-11 cm, in some populations the adults only reach 6.5 cm.
more tolerant of acidic waters than the Smooth Newt.
What is this?
Common/Smooth Newt
Male smooth newts have a much more developed wavy dorsal crest in the breeding season. Females are particularly difficult to tell apart, similiar in size, the best pointer is the darker spotting or speckling on the throats of Smooth Newts.
what are the active periods for GCN in:
Adult activity (water)
Adult activity (land)
Egg laying
Larvae in pond
Metamorphosis
