Lizards are very common on West Ardnamurchan, often to be seen sunning themselves on the stone walls that border the croft fields. But, this summer, we've had a problem identifying some of the ones we've seen.
Identification really shouldn't be difficult as there are only two British lizard species, the Common and Sand - and the Sand Lizard is very uncommon, particularly in Scotland.
This lovely pale green lizard spent some time watching us while we were enjoying the early evening sunshine. It isn't at all the 'normal' colour for a Common Lizard, but some of the websites suggest that the undersides of females can been pale green, so perhaps it's a female.
This young lizard appeared in our back yard, possibly brought in by one of the cats. While it's most likely to be a Common Lizard, the distinctive stripe along its back, and its colours, are closer to the much rarer Sand Lizard.
The little one is a newt - probably a juvenile palmate newt (because the orange stripe runs right into its tails.)
ReplyDeleteMany thanks. I wonder where the cat got a newt from.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I meant 'tail' - must have hit the s key by mistake. Newts will crawl through damp grass and are as much in danger from cats as lizards are. Nice lizard by the way - 'plain morph' !
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