Acorn Ecology Certificate Course

Self-Study Tutorial

British Reptile &

Amphibian ID ( and a bit about surveying too!)

Resources

Herpetofauna Workers Manual

Great Crested Newt Conservation Handbook

FSC Chart. Guide to the reptiles and amphibians of Britain and

Ireland.

Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (www.arc-trust.org)

National Amphibian and Reptile Recording Scheme

(www.narrs.org.uk)

Frogs and Toads by Trevor Beebee. Published by Whittet Books

(2004).

British Reptiles

British Species ...

Snakes

We have 3 native species of snakes

Grass Snake Natrix natrix

• 120 cm long

• Young hatch from eggs

• Eats frogs, lizards & small mammals

• Grassy places

• Common, swims & climbs trees

• Offence to kill, injure or sell

Grass Snake Natrix natrix

Black and yellow

collar

‘Keeled’ scales

Adder (Viper) Vipera berus

• 65 cm long

• Viviparous

• Eats Lizards & small mammals

• Many habitats

• Venemous

• Widespread but localised

• Offence to kill, injure or sell

Adder (Viper) Vipera berus

Zig zag down back

Red eyes

Smooth Snake Coronella austriaca

• 60 cm long

• Viviparous

• Eats lizards

• Sandy heathland

• Heathlands in Dorset & Hampshire

• 1-2 heaths in Surrey & West Sussex

• Introduced to sites in Devon and other nature reserves

• Very local and very rare

• Fully protected

Smooth Snake Coronella austriaca

Small

Indistinct markings

British Species ...

Lizards

We have 3 native species of lizard

Lizards

Most have four limbs and a tail

which may be re-grown if damaged.

3 species in the UK:

•Slow worm

•Common lizard

•Sand lizard

Common Lizard Lacerta vivipara

• 13.5 cm (tail = 7cm)

• Viviparous

• Eats invertebrates

• Grassland & heathland

• Widespread

• Offence to kill, injure or sell

Common Lizard Lacerta vivipara

Common

Variable markings

and colour

Sand Lizard Lacerta agilis

• 18 cm (tail = 9 cm) • Young hatch from eggs • Eats invertebrates • Sand dunes & heathland • Occurs naturally in Surrey, Dorset &

Hampshire on sandy heathland • Found in Merseyside on coastal sand dune

systems • Has been re-introduced to sites in N. Wales,

Devon, Cornwall & West Sussex • Very local, endangered • Fully protected

Sand Lizard Lacerta agilis

Dark spots with pale

centres – called ‘ocellate’

spots

Males become bright green

during breeding season

Slow-worm Anguis fragilis

50 cm long

Viviparous

Eats slugs & other small animals

Woodland, meadows & heathland

Widespread, small colony in Ireland

Offence to kill, injure or sell

Slow-worm Anguis fragilis

Smooth

Variable colour

Male Slow-worm

Blue spots (not always

visible)

Evenly coloured

(beige, brown or grey).

Note loss of tail

Female Slow-worm

Dark sides and often has dark

dorsal pin stripe

Juvenile Slow-worm

Small and ‘thread like’.

Variety of colour shades

including bronze and gold.

Dark, pale and reddish forms

encountered

British Amphibians

British Amphibians

British terrestrial amphibians consist of frogs and

toads (or ‘anurans’ - the tailless amphibians) and

newts (or ‘urodeles’ - the tailed amphibians).

Frogs and toads

Common frog

Common toad

Natterjack toad

Pool frog

Other non-native

species

Newts

Great crested newt

Smooth newt

Palmate newt

Other non-native

species

British Species ...

Newts

We have 3 native species of newts

Great crested newt Triturus cristatus

• Largest British newt (<170 mm)

• Bumpy or granular skin (sometimes called the ‘warty’ newt).

• Preference for neutral and calcareous habitats

• Fully protected

Great crested newt Triturus cristatus

• Breeding males have iridescent stripe along tail,

jagged crest on back with a notch at the base of

the tail and smooth crest on tail.

• Females orange belly colour extends along

underside of tail and a groove along the spine.

Smooth newt Lissotriton vulgaris

• Medium sized (<110 mm)

•Pale body

•Single crest in breeding male over entire

body and tail (compare with male great

crested newt – no notch)

Smooth newt Lissotriton vulgaris

• Males and females have spots on the

underside of their throat.

• Breeding males develop an undulating crest

along top of body and top and underside of

the tail.

Palmate newt Lissotriton helveticus

• Medium – small newt (<90 mm)

• Can be found at higher altitudes

than other newts

• Can be found on poorer (more

acidic) soils than other species

Palmate newt Lissotriton helveticus

• Males have dark webbing between toes and thread-like tail filament.

• Throat usually pale/translucent and unspotted. Important feature to distinguish between female smooth and female palmate newts

Newt Eggs

When carrying out newt surveys it is often important to be able

to distinguish between great crested newt and other newt eggs.

Newts lay their eggs singly, often wrapped in folded vegetation.

Great crested Newt eggs

Have a transparent jelly capsule 4.5-6

mm long with a light yellowish centre

Smooth/palmate Newt eggs

Almost impossible to differentiate

between the two species

Greyish brown or dirty white coloured

eggs within a transparent jelly capsule

c.3 mm across

British Species ...

Toads and Frogs

•Warty skin

•Distinct bulges on back of

head (parotoid glands)

•Often ‘walks’, not ‘jumps’

•Horizontal split pupil

•Females (up to 13 cm)

larger than males (up to 8

cm)

Common toad Bufo bufo

Natterjack toad Epidalea calamita

•Smaller than common toad (75-80 mm max)

•Distinct yellow line running down back

•Often move by running

•Restricted range (NW England, SW Scotland, East Anglia, South

coast England)

•Mainly in sandy environments such as sand dune systems

•Fully Protected.

Common frog Rana temporaria

•Moist skin in a variety of colour

forms.

•Similar maximum body size to

common toad (85-100 mm).

•Distinct dark patch behind the eye

•Pointed nose

•Females often more ‘colourful’ –

yellow and orange background

colouration with dark blotches

(although variable).

Pool frog Pelophylax lessonae

•Extinct from Britain in 1995 – reintroduced

into East Anglia at a single site and now

established at several sites.

•Variable colour but has a light (often yellow)

dorsal stripe

•Male has vocal sacs and calls during

breeding season (absent from common frog)

•Females may reach 90 mm in length (males

smaller)

Non native reptiles & amphibians

There are several non-native species of reptiles and amphibians in Britain. Some

are known to be breeding whilst others are not or their status is unknown. Find out

about some of the species and the potential threats to our native wildlife. A good

starting place may be www.alienencounters.org.uk

Alpine newt Mesotriton alpestris Marsh frog Pelophylax ridibundus

Reptile habitats

Heath land

Heath land

Sand dunes

Long grass

Great crested newt habitat

Preference for

medium to large

ponds

Marginal aquatic

vegetation

Absence of heavy

shading

Neutral or slightly

calcareous soil

and water

Good terrestrial habitat

nearby – rough grass,

hedgerows, woodland,

scrub

Networks of ponds

linked by good

terrestrial habitat

British Species ...

Surveying

Surveying for great crested newts

Survey considerations

•Legal implications of surveys – you need a

licence from Natural England (or

equivalent) to handle or disturb GCNs

•Aims and objectives of survey –

presence/absence, population size?

•Survey techniques – need to use at least

3.

•Health and safety – working near water

and in the dark.

•Suitable time of year.

Survey techniques

1. Bottle trapping A 2 litre bottle is cut up and the

end turned in. Then it is

suspended on a bamboo pole.

This is then placed overnight,

upturned, in the water and

checked in the morning for

GCNs

2. Torch surveys

This involves walking around a pond

edge at night with a powerful torch and

looking for displaying males – you can

clearly see large newts with crests and

a white tail stripe.

Survey techniques

3. Egg searches

This involves wading into the pond and

looking for eggs, GCNs have yellowish

eggs whilst other newts are brownish

or greyish. GCNs lay their eggs on

vegetation and then fold it over

creating a fold.

Survey techniques

4. Netting

This involves using a pond net to sweep around the

vegetation to catch GCNs. This is not recommended

as it is highly disturbing to the pond and the newts.

Survey techniques

Reptile surveys

Corrugated metal tins

Half a sheet painted black on

one side

Roofing felt tiles

0.5m2

Surveys

• Put out the tins or tiles

• Then 7 visits

• Temperature must be between 10ºC and

17ºC

• Time of day – 9-11 a.m. 4-7 p.m. if sunny

• Weather suitable – avoid cold mornings,

rainy days, too hot.

Reptile and amphibian fences

Sometimes you have to restrict re-entry of animals to the development

site so you will use a fence such as these. There is an overlap on the

outside of the site to stop them climbing back over.

An example of another reptile fence.

Note the reptile tiles in place.

For more on reptiles, amphibians

and surveying:

• Amphibian and Reptile Conservation http://www.arc-trust.org/

• National Amphibian and Reptile Recording Scheme http://www.narrs.org.uk/

• The Herpetological Conservation Trust http://www.herpconstrust.org.uk/

• Froglife http://www.froglife.org/

Reptile and Amphibian ID Quiz

Now let’s see how you are getting on

with your ID!

Which species is this?

Common lizard

Which species is this and which sex?

Sand lizard

Male bright

green

Female

brown

Ocellate spots

Which species is this?

Unspotted

throat

Palmate newt

Which species is this?

Large irregular

black blotches

on underside

Great crested newt

Which species is this?

Tail filament

Palmate newt

Dark webbed feet

(rear)

Which species is this?

Yellow dorsal stripe

Natterjack toad

Which species and sex?

Dark sides and dorsal pin stripe

Female slow worm

Male slow worm

Uniform pale colour

Which species is this?

Dry warty skin

Bulging parotoid glands

Common toad

Spotted throat

Which species is this?

Spotted throat

Smooth newt

Just before your go...

Can you name the Fully Protected

amphibian and reptile species in the

UK?

Here they are...

•Smooth snake

•Sand lizard

•Natterjack toad

•Great crested newt

How did you get on with the quiz?

•If you are still struggling with the ID side

then go through the tutorial again.

•Make sure you know which species are fully

protected.

•Now spend some time looking at information

on some websites and maybe doing some

background reading.

•Don’t worry, we will be covering most of this

during the course as well.