List of reptiles of Great Britain

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)

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)

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

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Sea turtles (Chelonioidea)

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]

Pond turtles (Emydidae)

Image	Name	Distribution
	European pond turtle(Emys orbicularis)		Extirpated - currently extinct in Britain but the rewilding organisation, Celtic Rewilding, aims to reintroduce them by 2026.[12]

Introduced species

• Red-eared slider, Trachemys scripta elegans^[13][14]
• Common wall lizard, Podarcis muralis^[15]
• Italian wall lizard, Podarcis siculus^[16]
• Western green lizard, Lacerta bilineata - possible extirpated native^[17][18]
• Aesculapian snake, Zamenis longissimus^[19][20][21] - former native (pleistocene)
• Grass snake, Natrix natrix^[22]

See also

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

References

1. "Adder". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
2. 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. Bibcode:2010MolPE..55..460G. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.007. PMID 20079858. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
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. 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. "Terrapin". Canal & River Trust. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
13. Rhodin 2011, p. 000.183
14. Wildlife of Britain The Definitive Visual Guide. Dorling Kindersley. 2011. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-4053-6709-7.
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. "Alien Species in Britain: The Green lizard (Lacerta viridis + L. Bilineata)". 5 January 2013.
19. "Wild snake caught on film in north Wales". BBC. 16 May 2006.
20. 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.
21. "Britain's biggest snake - missing from UK for 10,000 years - now back and breeding". Daily Mirror. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
22. Julian, Angela (8 March 2021). "Enter the Natrix: surveying grass snakes in eastern England by Steve Allain". ARG UK. Retrieved 28 December 2021.

Notes

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

External links

• 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.