Indigenous Hungarian Reptiles: Lizards

Sand lizard, Eastern green lizard, Common wall lizard, Balkan wall lizard, European snake-

eyed skink/European copper skink, Viviparous lizard, Slow worm

Sand lizard - Lacerta agilis

HU: Fürge gyík, DE: Zauneidechse, FR: Lézard des souches

Reptilia (class) - Squamata (order) - Sauria (suborder) - Lacertidae (family) - Lacerta (genus) -

agilis (species)

DISTRIBUTION All Europe, except Mediterranean region, Ireland and North-Scandinavia. In Asia to the Lake Baykal, widespread in Hungary

HABITAT varied biotopes: grasslands on plains and hilly landscapes, sides of cultivated lands, forests on plains; meadows, railway embankments, grassy shore, sunny pastures

BODY 20-23 cm in length; sturdy body; short head, blunt nose; relatively long tail, at the start flattened; thick and short limbs, base colour of back: greyish brown or brownish grey, sometimes lighter or darker continuous rusty red line in the middle of the back; sides and limbs grass green or yellowish; female’s back light grey or yellowish brown. Abdomen: yellowish green, black dotted; females has no spots on and are never green

SPECIAL rusty red line along the spine

FOOD insects: moths, locusts, crickets, spiders, centipedes, bees, wasps, bed-bugs, juvenile lizards

REPRODUCTION Mating at start of May; Laying eggs in May-June; 8-12 eggs; hatching after two months, about July-August. At spring the males look after permanent partner, though they mate with several mature females. Males sometimes fight a mock-fight for females. Juveniles are brown, 5-6 cm in length.

BEHAVIOUR Wakes up at the end of March, first the juveniles, then the males, then the females; spends the night in shelter, and comes out early morning, active all day, avoids scorching sun; goes to winter-sleep at the start of October, into holes, under stumps, among stones, frost-free places. Often hibernates with other lizard species: Eastern green lizard, Balkan wall lizard, Viviparous and Common wall lizard.

PROTECTION Protected. Not endangered but the new roads, and extending human habitations cause to disjoint its habitats; severe changes in climate destroy eggs; pesticides and fertilizers cause extinction from near cultivated field

Eastern green lizard – Lacerta Viridis

HU: Zöld gyík, DE: Östliche Smaragdeidechse, FR: Lézard vert oriental

Reptilia (class) - Squamata (order) - Sauria (suborder) - Lacertidae (family) - Lacerta (genus) -

viridis (species)

DISTRIBUTION France, North-Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Czech, South-Germany, South-Poland, Slovakia, Balkan, Greece, Northwest Turkey, widespread in Hungary

HABITAT sunny forest sites, plain and mountainous regions, hillsides, steppe, damp grasslands lined by trees, vineyards, farmsteads, by fishing ponds, close to inhabited areas

BODY 30-35 cm in length, long, stout lizard; tail gradually thinners and might be twice as long as the body. Long and strong legs. Males bigger, with green a black spotted back, and yellowish abdomen, lower jaw and throat becomes blue in mating season. Females are brown and patterned with two parallel lines on their back, and brownish-whitish spots on their sides, with beige abdominal side, their throat is never blue

FOOD insects, locusts, snails, small lizards, young rodents, baby birds

REPRODUCTION Mating season in May and males fight hard for females. Laying eggs in June, 10-15 eggs (occasionally two nests in a year). Hatching at

the end of August, start of September, their bodies are brown and they wear no patterns

BEHAVIOUR Wakes up at start of April; if disturbed disappears in a hole or under a bush or stone. Very agile in climbing trees. Territorial, the couples stay together for years, and take up about a 25-80 m2 territory. Leave their hiding place at early morning, basking, then go hunting. Quick moving, alert and not timid lizards. In October they move to sleep, into hollows in trees, under rocks, frost-free places.

PROTECTION Protected. Disappearing from some places. Domestic animals and the cold, humid summers cause great damage in populations.

Common wall lizard - Podarcis muralis

HU: Fali gyík, DE: Mauereidechse, FR: Lézard des murailles

Reptilia (class) - Squamata (order) - Sauria (suborder) - Lacertidae (family) - Podarcis (genus)

- muralis (species)

DISTRIBUTION Most of Europe, except British Islands, North-East Europe, Scandinavia), sporadically in Spain; Asia Minor; hill and mountain sites of Hungary

HABITAT sunny, stony hill and mountainsides up to 1000 m, deciduous forests, abandoned quarries, ruined buildings, sandstone wall, vineyards, railway embankments; inhabited areas (at the bottom of fences or building a colony)

BODY 15-20 cm in length, slim and slender; relatively long head; thin limbs. Tail long and gradually thinners. Base colour is varied: grey or brown shades (males are greener), their side dark and light dotted. A line runs along the spine, female’s are smooth and brown, male’s light and patterned with blue spots. Abdomen: whitish, yellow or orange coloured. Rarely jet black specimen may appear.

FOOD insects, flies, moths, caterpillars, worms – also cannibalism

REPRODUCTION Mating season at start of May. Males are irritable and chase each-other. Laying eggs in June, 6-9 soft eggs. Juveniles hatch about

August or September, about 6-7 cm in size.

BEHAVIOUR Wakes up at end of March, start of April, often found in colonies. Very agile on ground and on vertical walls as well. Escapes if disturbed. Basking for hours with flattened body, or runs around even in scorching sunshine. Goes to winter-sleep at the end of October, first the adults, then the juveniles.

PROTECTION Protected. Not widespread, but occasional populations are large; at farmstead chicken destroy the juveniles

Balkan wall lizard - Podarcis tauricus

HU: Homoki gyík, DE: Taurische Eidechse, FR: Lézard de tauride

Reptilia (class) - Squamata (order) - Sauria (suborder) - Lacertidae (family) - Podarcis (genus)

- tauricus (species)

DISTRIBUTION Most part of Balkan, Romania, in wide area by the Black sea shores, at parts of Ukraine and Turkey; in some areas of Hungary: Duna-Tisza köze (Danube-Tisza Interfluve), Tiszántúl (Trans Tisza region), Alföld (Great Hungarian Plain)

HABITAT dry, open places, grassy fields, roadside ditches, deciduous forests, mountain pastures. Mostly found in loose, sandy soiled areas in Hungary where there is no connected vegetation. Occasionally co-habits with Sand lizard and Eastern green lizard.

BODY 12-18 cm in length, short and stubby head, flat body, thin and long limbs; base colour of its back is green or rarely brown, black pattern on the sides; abdomen of females are light grey, males’ orange with greenish throat. Identical green line on back. Juveniles have no line only a brown band; base colour of juveniles chestnut brown with greyish green band over the spine

FOOD orthoptera, insects, spiders

REPRODUCTION mating season: end of April, hatching in June

BEHAVIOUR Wakes up in the middle of April. Very quick-footed lizard; disappears in an underground hole if disturbed; often hibernates in self-dug deep pits. Active only in warm, sunny days.

PROTECTION Protected. Rarest lizard in Hungary. The forestation of dry sandy grasslands, and the expansion of bushes decrease its habitat.

European snake-eyed skink/European copper skink - Ablepharus kitaibelii fitzingeri

HU: Pannon gyík, DE: Johannisechse, FR: Abléphare de Kitaibel

Reptilia (class) - Squamata (order) - Sauria (suborder) - Scincidae (family) - Ablepharus (genus)

- kitibelii (species)

DISTRIBUTION Central and South-East Europe, populations in patches, South-Slovakia, Romania, Balkan, Turkey, North-Africa; isolated populations in Hungary: Pilis, Budai-hegyek (mountains around Buda), Börzsöny, Bükk, Duna-Tisza köze (Danube-Tisza Interfluve), Balaton felvidék (Upper Balaton area), Kiskunság, Északi középhegység (Northern Hungarian Mid-Mountains)

HABITAT sunny, grassy hillsides; warm, rocky slopes of mountains covered with deciduous forests; occasionally in parklands

BODY 9-12 cm in length, long cylindrical spade lizard. Juveniles are yellowish, adults graphite grey. Dark band on the back and on the sides; brownish-black stripes on both side from the eyes to the tail. Abdominal side bluish or greyish. Small eyes, eyelids grown together; small and weak limbs, standing far from one -another. Forked-tongue, slithering locomotion, abdominal side touches the ground.

FOOD insects, worms, spiders

REPRODUCTION Mating season: April-May. Laying eggs in end of May, 2-4 eggs. Juveniles hatch in August, and walk only on legs

BEHAVIOUR Wakes up in the middle of March. Active in early morning and early afternoon; finds shelter in underground pits from hot weather. Often hunts at twilight. Goes to winter-sleep in

October.

PROTECTION Protection. The causes of the isolations of populations are the destruction of nature, expansion of built-in areas, the change of vegetation and domestic animals. Related species:the Pannon lizard, the Asian Ablepharus pannonicus

Viviparous/Common lizard - Zootoca vivipara

HU: Elevenszülő gyík, DE: Bergeidechse/Waldeidechse, FR: Lézard vivipare

Reptilia (class) - Squamata (order) - Sauria (suborder) - Lacertidae (family) - Zootoca (genus) -

vivipara (species)

DISTRIBUTION Eurasia, up to 70. degree of latitude (except South Spain, Black sea area). In Asia: in the place among Amur river, North Mongolia, Lake Bajkal and Sahalin islands. Outside the Carpathian Basin it is a mountain-preferring species, up to 2500 meter, thus it’s called mountain lizard. One of the Ice age relictum species. In Hungary typical in Hanság, Bátorliget, Szatmár-Bereg, Ócsa - Dabas areas. Two subspecies exist.

HABITAT peat bogs, humid brinks of forests, damp forests, humid or reedy meadows, grasslands, mainly in mountainous lands but sometimes on plains too. Avoids dry lands, likes damp, cool biotopes

BODY Small sized, stretched body, maximum length 16-18 cm. Often mistaken with Sand lizard. Tail thinners from the middle part, so it looks a bit massive. Back is reddish-brown or greyish brown, blackish-brown band runs along the spine. A line of yellowish line of dots runs among two lines of dark brown spots. Brownish band on the sides, bordered by yellowish-white dots. Abdominal side: dark, from dirty yellow to brick red, varied with spots; male’s abdomen orange with light blue or whitish shade and with yellow legs and black pattern. Female’s abdomen whitish-greyish, occasionally with black spots. Jet black variations may appear as well.

FOOD earthworms, snails, slugs, insects, larva, spider, flies

REPRODUCTION Mating season: end of April, start and middle of May. On cooler climate babies develop inside the mothers, if warmer eggs hatch in the ground. Laying eggs in July-August. A half an hour after laying down the eggs, the juveniles hatch out. Otherwise 4-10 offspring get born. Juvenile’s back is dark brown, abdomen dark grey. They become mature in their 3rd year.

BEHAVIOUR Wakes up about the end of February, middle of March. Active at daytime, at nights and in bad weather it sojourns in channels of rodents, in pits or under roots. Sometimes active in rainy days as well. Goes to winter-sleep at the start of October, and nests itself under thick moss, or deep under the roots. Good digger. Keeps using its own hiding place, and returns there to hibernate. Adults like to bask in groups.

PROTECTION Protected. No reliable data about its populations. Shares its habitat with rare plants and animals, so habitat conservation is essential to maintain healthy populations. Natural opponents: Smooth snake, and Adder. Juveniles get caught by birds or even insects.

Slow worm - Angius fragilis

HU: Törékeny/Lábatlan gyík, DE: Blindschleiche, FR: Orvet fragile

Reptilia (class) - Squamata (order) - Sauria (suborder) - Lacertidae (family) - Zootoca (genus) -

vivipara (species)

DISTRIBUTION All Europe (except above Arctic Circle, Crimean peninsula, a few Mediterranean islands, Ireland, South Spain). Asia Minor, Caucasus area, in Southwest Asia as far as Iran. In Hungary on mountains and hilly lands, in forests.

HABITAT weedy meadows; bushy areas; forests with abundant vegetation; mid-mountains, deciduous forests, moors

BODY 30-45 cm in length; smooth and short, snake-like body. No limbs, forked-tongue. Small and tall head, rounded tail. Small eyes, eyelids can move; scales around its body shiny and smooth. Back: from light brown to dark brown, with a metallic shine, sometimes a dark brown line runs along the spine. Pattern may be missing. Sides are lighter than back. Abdomen grey-blackish. Abdomen of females blackish, males’ yellow or bluish grey. Back of juveniles golden coloured, abdomen dark brown. Sheds its skin in one. Lost tail regrows. Ear-holes can be well seen, bony residue of limbs can be discovered. Subspecies: Kékpettyes lábatlangyík (Blue spotted slow worm), Anguis fragilis colchicus.

FOOD earthworms, slugs, insects

REPRODUCTION Mating season: March-April; eggs hatch inside the mother’s body, about in June-August. 8-12 lively offspring, each 7-9 cm in length. Juveniles die in their first year.

BEHAVIOUR Sluggish locomotion, harmless, consumes pests; Wakes up in the middle of April. Very reserved, moves among dense vegetation.

Active mainly at night, daytime only before or after rain. Goes to winter-sleep in the middle of October, deep under the ground, in a pit dug by itself or in abandoned hollows of rodents. More animals may gather at the same place, occasionally other species as well.

PROTECTION Protected but not endangered. Often mistaken to a snake and destroyed by farmers, although all reptile and amphibian species are protected by law. Fortunately it prefers hiding. Natural opponents: hedgehog, fox, hog, common buzzard.

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