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Living World

Factual: Science & Nature: Nature & Environment

Getting up close and personal with wild nature in Britain and beyond.

Intimate encounters and extraordinary observations of wild nature in Britain and beyond.

The Living World

Living World: Rare Reptiles

Rare Reptiles

30/05/2010

BBC Radio 4 - Living World, Rare Reptiles

Lionel Kellaway gets close to a smooth snake and sand lizard, our rarest reptiles.

Lionel Kellaway heads to Town Common near Bournemouth, home to all six of Britain's reptile species. With Roland Griffin of the ARC Trust as his guide, how many will he find?

2/18. Lionel Kelleway teams up with The Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (ARC) Trust's Dorset Reserves community officer, Roland Griffin, on a quest to find Britain's rarest reptiles. They've come to the right place. Town Common, just north of Bournemouth, offers a wide variety of habitats and is home to all six of Britain's reptile species. The forecast? Cloudy and cool with sunny intervals - ideal reptile finding weather. To increase their chances further, pieces of corrugated iron sheet are deliberately placed around the common by ARC to help them with reptile surveys. Snakes like to slither under the tins for shelter and warmth. 

Within minutes, and to their utter delight, under the first tin they discover Britain's rarest snake, the Smooth Snake. Permitted by ARC's special licence to handle reptiles, Lionel has the thrilling privilege of holding the slender brown snake which rests calmly in his hands. Smooth Snakes have severely restricted distribution, being found only in coastal heathland. This habitat is declining fast. A few empty tins later, they uncover two slow worms, legless lizards which look like snakes. Finally, as the sun emerges from behind the clouds at last, conditions become perfect for lizard spotting. As Lionel and Roland wander along a sandy track, there under the heather at the side of the path, is a Sand Lizard, Britain's rarest lizard. It's a beautiful male, resplendent in pea green breeding colours. They get close enough to make out the speckles on its flanks before it slips away into the undergrowth. Sand Lizards are enjoying something of a resurgence as captive breeding and release programmes boost their numbers. It's not often you'll get to encounter both of Britain's rarest reptiles in one morning and Lionel and Roland are elated.

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