Who's this lizard? (1 Viewer)

Jos Stratford

Eastern Exile

Staff member

• Oct 28, 2004

• #1

Still no sure how to put photos on this forum, so maybe the image is small (or missing!), but any of the reptile experts give me a species i.d. on this one? Photographed in my garden in Lithuania (Baltic)

 

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V

very boring banned member

New member

• Oct 29, 2004

• #2

Looks very much like Lacerta vivipara.

 

Joern Lehmhus

Well-known member

• Oct 29, 2004

• #3

I´d also say Lacerta vivipara

 

Jos Stratford

Eastern Exile

Staff member

• Oct 29, 2004

• #4

Thanks guys, never been an expert on lizards, except Sand Lizards! Maybe someone wants to save me trawling the internet for an English name to the above? Logical thinking - Viviparious Lizard maybe?

 

Last edited: Oct 29, 2004

James Blake

chasing the shadow of a lowskimming gull

• Oct 29, 2004

• #5

In Britain it's known as Common or Viviparous Lizard. Just had a quick look at the maps in the Collins reptile guide - according to them the only lizards in Lithuania are Common and Sand plus Slow worm, though Green is possibly found in Poland. And the only other reptiles are Grass Snake, Smooth Snake, Adder and Pond Terrapin...apologies if you know this already.

James

 

Jos Stratford

Eastern Exile

Staff member

• Oct 29, 2004

• #6

James Blake said:

The only lizards in Lithuania are Common and Sand plus Slow worm. And the only other reptiles are Grass Snake, Smooth Snake, Adder and Pond Terrapin...apologies if you know this already.

Click to expand...

Hmm, seems my reptile list is more or less complete for this country then - Grass Snakes common in the garden, Adders and Slow Worms I occasionally see elsewhere. Sand Lizard a few times in the south-east of the country. Haven't seen the Smooth Snake here (but is very restricted to just a couple of localities), as is the Pond Terrapin.

What I didn't know in my ignorance was that the only other lizard was Common Lizard! So, that just about saves me from buying a reptile book, which I was considering! Still need an amphibian book though - plenty of frogs and toads here and about time I got to know them!

 

LAF

Registered Member

• Oct 30, 2004

• #7

Looks like your reptile fauna is very similar to the UK's. Your picture is certainly Lacerta vivipara (be aware that many people now consider this species to belong to a new, monotypic genus, Zootoca, so in future you may well see Zootoca vivipara, it's the same animal). Despite its name it isn't truly viviparous, but rather ovo-viviparous (some populations in the French alps, central massif, are actually oviparous). For further info (shameless self plug time) try THE COMMON LIZARD.

Cheers, Lee.