Species Infomation
The wall lizard and the western green lizard, both from continental Europe, have been introduced to the UK. Of these two, the wall lizard is by far the most abundant. Wall lizards are tracked through Surrey Amphibian and Reptile Group's excellent Wall Lizard Project.
The wall lizard grows to about 19 cm, but more than half of this length is tail. The male (above left) has bright green markings on its back. The female (above right) is predominantly brown.
There are more than 30 populations of wall lizards scattered throughout
southern England. Their distribution suggests multiple releases of
this non-native species rather than natural spread. Any
additional populations should be reported to the
Wall Lizard Project.
The Western green lizard (right) is a little bigger than the wall lizard. It is native to Jersey but a non-native population has been established on cliff tops in Bournemouth.