Slow worms
Keep your eyes open on the heathland and at the edges of woodland and woodland rides and you may spot a slow worm. A male was spotted recently on Town Hill. They have also been spotted on Incleborough Hill and the Main Heath. Also two were spotted very recently on Stone Hill.
Although they look like worms or snakes, slow worms are neither. They are lizards. The tell-tale indications that they are lizards are that they have eyelids (snakes don't) and they can shed their tails.
They are smaller than snakes and have smooth golden-grey skin. Females are larger than males and have dark sides and a dark stripe down the back. Males tend to be paler and sometimes have blue spots.
Although slow worms are not poisonous, please do not pick them up. If caught by their tail they shed it. This is to confuse their predators as the tail still moves, giving the slow worm time to escape. The tail gradually grows back, so it can be an aid to roughly aging a slow worm.
Like other reptiles they hibernate, usually from October to March.
Common lizard