List of reptiles of Great Britain

Part of a series on the

Wildlife of Great Britain

Fauna

* England

* Cornwall
* Isles of Scilly
* Scotland

* Highlands
* Outer Hebrides
* Wales

* Endemic
* Extinct

Invertebrates

|  Insects

* Ants
* Aquatic heteropteran bugs
* Bees
* Beetles
* Butterflies
* Conopid flies
* Damselflies and dragonflies
* Hoverflies
* Mayflies
* Moths
* Orthoptera and allied insects
* Shield bugs
* Soldierflies and allies
* Wasps

Molluscs

* Non-marine molluscs

Crustaceans

* Crabs
* Woodlice

Vertebrates

* Amphibians
* Fish
* Mammals
* Reptiles

Birds

* British avifauna
* Wales
* Non-natives
* North American landbirds
* Feral parakeets
* Bee-eaters
* Cranes

Flora

* Ferns and allies
* Conifers
* Dicotyledons (Superrosids
* Asteraceae
* Rosaceae)
* Monocotyledons

* British National
Vegetation Classification

* v
* t
* e

The reptiles of Great Britain include three native snakes and three native lizards. A number of sea turtles visit Great Britain's shores. There are also at least seven introduced reptile species.

## Snakes (Serpentes)

[edit]

Image  | Name  | Head (dorsal)  | Head (lateral)  | Distribution

|
|
|
|

| Common adder
(Vipera berus)[1] |  |  |
| Barred grass snake
(Natrix helvetica)[2][a] |  |  |
| Smooth snake
(Coronella austriaca)[4] |  |  |

## Lizards (Lacertilia)

[edit]

Image  | Name  | Distribution

|
|

| Slow worm
(Anguis fragilis)[5][6] |
| Viviparous lizard
(Zootoca vivipara)[7] |
| Sand lizard
(Lacerta agilis)  |

## Sea turtles (Chelonioidea)

[edit]

Image  | Name  | Distribution  |

|
|
|

| Leatherback sea turtle
(Dermochelys coriacea)  |  | Foraging[8]
| Loggerhead sea turtle
(Caretta caretta)  |  | Vagrant[9]
| Green sea turtle
(Chelonia mydas)  |  | Vagrant[10]
| Hawksbill sea turtle
(Eretmochelys imbricata)  |  | Vagrant[10]
| Kemp's ridley sea turtle
(Lepidochelys kempii)  |  | Vagrant[10]
| Olive ridley sea turtle
(Lepidochelys olivacea)  |  | Vagrant[11]

## Introduced species

[edit]

* Red-eared slider, Trachemys scripta elegans[12][13]

* European pond terrapin, Emys orbicularis[14]
* Common wall lizard, Podarcis muralis[15]
* Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus[16]
* Western green lizard, Lacerta bilineata[17]
* Aesculapian snake, Zamenis longissimus[18][19][20]
* Grass snake, Natrix natrix[21]

## See also

[edit]

* Introduced species of the British Isles
* Lists of reptiles by region

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Adder". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
2. ^ a b Carolin Kindler; Maxime Chèvre; Sylvain Ursenbacher; Wolfgang Böhme; Axel Hille; Daniel Jablonski; Melita Vamberger; Uwe Fritz (7 August 2017), "Hybridization patterns in two contact zones of grass snakes reveal a new Central European snake species", Scientific Reports, 7 (1), Nature: Article number: 7378, Bibcode:2017NatSR...7.7378K, doi:10.1038/s41598-017-07847-9, PMC 5547120, PMID 28785033
3. ^ Angela Julian (22 August 2017). "What does the re-classification of European grass snakes mean for our native grass snakes?". Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
4. ^ "Smooth snake | The Wildlife Trusts". www.wildlifetrusts.org. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
5. ^ Václav Gvozˇ dík, David Jandzik, Petros Lymberakis, Daniel Jablonski, Jirˇ í Moravec (2010). "Slow worm, Anguis fragilis (Reptilia: Anguidae) as a species complex: Geneticstructure reveals deep divergences". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 55 (2): 460–472. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.007. PMID 20079858. Retrieved 1 April 2022.`{{cite journal}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
6. ^ "Slow worm". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
7. ^ "Common lizard". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
8. ^ Rhodin 2011, p. 000.174
9. ^ Rhodin 2011, p. 000.172
10. ^ a b c Inns, Howard (2009) Britain's Reptiles and Amphibians, Wildguides.
11. ^ "Olive ridley turtle found injured off Seaford beach". BBC News. 19 January 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
12. ^ Rhodin 2011, p. 000.183
13. ^ Wildlife of Britain The Definitive Visual Guide. Dorling Kindersley. 2011. p. 168\. ISBN 978-1-4053-6709-7.
14. ^ "Terrapin". Canal & River Trust. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
15. ^ "Common Wall Lizard". Surrey Amphibian and Reptile Group (SARG). Archived from the original on 5 January 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
16. ^ Pete Hill (19 November 2020). Alien species of amphibian and reptile in the UK (YouTube video). Amphibian and Reptile Conservation on YouTube.
17. ^ Amphibians and Reptiles. HarperCollins. 2000. ISBN 978-0-00-220083-7.
18. ^ "Wild snake caught on film in north Wales". BBC. 16 May 2006.
19. ^ Loeb, Josh (2 September 2010). "Feature: 'The Camden Creature' - An amphibian and reptile trust says our waterways are alive with some exotic creatures". Islington Tribune. Archived from the original on 5 September 2010.
20. ^ "Britain's biggest snake - missing from UK for 10,000 years - now back and breeding". Daily Mirror. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
21. ^ Julian, Angela (8 March 2021). "Enter the Natrix: surveying grass snakes in eastern England by Steve Allain". ARG UK. Retrieved 28 December 2021.

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Previously referred to as Natrix natrix helvetica)[2][3]

## External links

[edit]

* British Reptiles from wildlifetrust.org.uk
* RAUK Identification Guide
* Rhodin, Anders G.J.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Inverson, John B.; Shaffer, H. Bradley; Roger, Bour (31 December 2011). "Turtles of the world, 2011 update: Annotated checklist of taxonomy, synonymy, distribution and conservation status" (PDF). Chelonian Research Monographs. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 January 2012.
* Wilkinson, J.W., Baker, J. and Foster, J. Priorities for Non-Native Amphibians and Reptiles in the UK. ARC Research Report 11/02.

* v
* t
* e

Fauna of Great Britain

* England
* Scotland
* Scottish Highlands
* Wales

Invertebrates|

| Insects|

* Ants
* Aquatic heteropteran bugs
* Bees
* Beetles
* Butterflies
* Conopid flies
* Damselflies and dragonflies
* Hoverflies
* Mayflies
* Moths
* Orthoptera and allied insects
* Shield bugs
* Soldierflies and allies
* Wasps

|

Molluscs|

* Non-marine molluscs

Crustaceans|

* Crabs
* Woodlice

Vertebrates|

* Amphibians
* Birds
* Fish
* Mammals
* Reptiles

See also|

* Endangered species of the British Isles
* Endemic species of the British Isles
* Birds of Wales
* Flora and fauna of Cornwall
* Birds of Leicestershire and Rutland

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