Nature Photographers Ltd

Common Lizard Lacerta vivipara Length 10-15cm Widespread legged lizard. Fond of sunbathing. Hibernates Oct-April. Gives birth to live young. Adult has rather slender body with angular, pointed snout. Ground colour is variable but brown is usual. From above, note vertebral row of dark spots or patches, and parallel rows of dark markings on flanks, bordered above by pale spots. Some have green or reddish flush to head. Mature male has bright yellow or orange underparts studded with dark spots. Juvenile resembles a miniature adult but with relatively much shorter tail; uniformly black for first few weeks of life. Has declined markedly. Still very locally common in open habitats, notably heathland.