All You Ever Wanted To Know About Sand Lizards

In Dorset we are lucky enough to have Britain’s rarest lizard, the Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis).
The main reason for protecting heathland is for its immense wealth of wildlife, insects, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and birds.
Dorset has lost a lot of heathland over the past 50 years to housing and forestry. What is left is often fragmented and difficult for some small populations to sustain.
This is why DCV are out there weekend after weekend pulling, cutting and burning the pine and gorse.

During the Winter, Sand lizards remain in a state of suspended animation (hibernation), in burrows under the ground. They cope quite easily with the British winter as it is considerably warmer than in Russia, where Sand lizards also live. When sunny Spring days start to reach 10 or 12 degrees centigrade, Sand lizards start to emerge from hibernation.

On the warm south coast of England, Sand lizards emerge in March or even February, but on the Sefton Coast (Lancashire) they most probably hibernate until April.

The males come out first, followed by the females a few weeks later, they also have a much bolder body pattern, with dark blotches called 'ocelli' which have a pale dot in the middle of each, like an eye.

Sand lizard Tail Loosing
When attacked by a predator all lizards are able to shed part of their tail. The lost section will continue wriggling for a short time to confuse the predator and allow the lizard to escape. A new stumpy tail will grow in its place. When threatened by another predator the lizard is able to lose its tail again at the next vertebrae up.

Males develop bright green flanks within weeks of emerging from hibernation in the Spring and have broader heads than females, which are generally brown with dark and light ocelli. Adult Sand lizards reach about 20cm in length with a more robust build than the smaller Common lizard and can live for 10-12 years, becoming sexually mature after two or three years.

As a reptile the Sand lizard is 'ectothermic' which means it gets its warmth from the surrounding environment and basking in direct sunlight. They climb up vegetation or lie out in open sand, but never very far from the safety of vegetation. You are less likely to see them on a hot day in the Summer as they will be warm enough by 10 or 11am, after which they go off hunting, deep in the vegetation. Generally Sand lizards eat a variety of invertebrates including spiders and grasshoppers. Activity increases throughout Spring with males feeding and basking to reach physical condition. Mating then takes place and territorial males can sometimes be seen fighting or chasing rival males away. About 6 weeks later, females excavate burrows in open sand, sometimes making several 'test burrows' before they dig a suitable one. When they are happy with the burrow they've excavated they lay about 6 eggs and fill it in afterwards. Egg-laying normally occurs around June, but recently in southern Britain females have been laying earlier and even laying a second clutch later in the Summer.

Around August, after incubating in the sand for about 10 weeks, the eggs hatch and the juveniles clamber to the surface, the hatchlings have to fend for themselves immediately to avoid being eaten by other Sand lizards! They measure about 60mm in length and are dark brown with small white spots. They hunt, bask and look after themselves like miniature versions of adults.

By October, the weather is usually deteriorating so that not many days are warm or sunny enough for Sand lizards to be out basking. Some animals may be seen throughout the month, especially the new juveniles, but most will already be heading underground for another Winter.