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.