Slow Worm






			Slow-worm (Anguis Fragilis)

		I have so many childhood memories of Slow worms, and children would love to collect them or play with them, treating them like harmless pets, I still remember my excitement in finding my captured Slow worm had many small bright yellow babies, which I released, those days the gardens were not so well kept, and none of the garden equipment now used, and so many people in urban areas now have cats, which is not good for a Slow worm. I have been living in my house for 30 years and in that time have only seen one large Slow worm in my garden. ironically Slow worms are good for the garden, as they feed on many garden pests such as slugs and snails, they will also eat many other insects including earth worms. I still find them in the wild usually sunbathing in sheltered places, and can never resist trying to take another photograph. One place I found large numbers living commonly was near Winchester, Hampshire, found under old lino flooring and cogitated tin, left scattered from a disused army base.

Slow worms are not snakes and not of course worms, they are legless lizards, and not always slow, as documented in many books, they can disappear quite quickly when they want to, especially if warmed by the sun. Care has to be taken when handling these gentle creatures or they will shed there tail, this is a natural defense mechanism to confuse or make its predator chase the tail, as it carries on wiggling violently for some time. It does grow back but it is never the same more like a slightly pointed shortened stump. Many of the larger Slow worms I find in the wild have shortened tails, which shows they have had to use such a defense, to avoid a predator in the wild. I prefer not to photography such poor specimen, may be just a close up of the head.

When filming them close up, its always there friendly looking eyes that fascinate me, they even have eye lids. They hibernate during the winter in tree roots, leaves, compost heaps, from October to February/March. Slow worms are very long lived and a lovely animal, now protected
under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Andy Newman© 19/06/10