Slow Worm
Anguis fragilis • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Lacertilia, Family: Anguidae, Subfamily: Anguinae, Genus: Anguis, Species: Anguis fragilis
Found across Europe, ranging from Western Europe eastward to western Asia, and inhabiting regions from the Iberian Peninsula up into Scandinavia.
Look up Slow Worm in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Lacertilia, Family: Anguidae, Subfamily: Anguinae, Genus: Anguis, Species: Anguis fragilis
Conservation
Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Primary threats include habitat loss, fragmentation, predation by domestic cats, and direct human persecution due to mistaken identity as a snake.
Physical Description
A legless lizard exhibiting a smooth, highly polished, metallic bronze or brownish-grey coloration with a uniform appearance. It lacks external limbs and features small eyes with movable eyelids, a characteristic feature distinguishing it from snakes, along with a blunt head shape.
Size & Dimensions
The specimen appears to be around 20 to 30 cm long. Typical adults reach total lengths of 40 to 50 cm, with females sometimes growing slightly larger.
Habitat
Prefers damp or moist habitats including open woodlands, forest edges, damp grasslands, heathlands, and often found in gardens, allotments, and compost heaps where cover is abundant.
Diet & Feeding
Feeds primarily on slow-moving invertebrates, predominantly slugs, snails, earthworms, and sometimes insects, using an active foraging strategy.
Reproduction
Ovoviviparous species, giving birth to live young. Mating typically occurs in spring, and females produce litters ranging from 6 to 26 young in late summer.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Primary threats include habitat loss, fragmentation, predation by domestic cats, and direct human persecution due to mistaken identity as a snake.
Cultural Significance
Often misunderstood and feared due to its snake-like appearance, but highly beneficial in gardens and agricultural areas for controlling pest populations of slugs and snails.
Notable Features
Despite looking remarkably like a snake, it is actually a lizard that has evolved a completely legless body plan (an example of convergent evolution). Another notable defense mechanism is autotomy, allowing them to drop part of their tail to distract predators.