Happy St Patrick’s Day all! ☘️
St Patrick may have driven the snakes out of Ireland but he did leave us with one reptile, the wonderful common lizard, Zootoca vivipara.
The common or viviparous lizard is Ireland’s only native reptile. Common lizards are only active during the day and hibernate from October to March. They are 10-16cm long with short legs and a long tail.
As reptiles are cold blooded, they rely on environmental heat sources to regulate their body temperature. They derive body heat from both the sun and contact with warm surfaces. As common lizards are diurnal, they bask in sunlight to raise their body temperature and will retreat to cover when they need to cool down. Sandy/rocky places with a quick escape route are preferred basking spots, where the individual flattens its body whilst basking to absorb heat over greatest surface area possible. The lower slopes of the Little Sugarloaf are a good place to keep an eye out for them on sunny days.
Find out more about our native lizards here and report any you see here.
