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26 Cards in this Set
- Front
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British Amphibians |
- 7 Native species: • Common frog • Common toad • Natterjack toad • Northern pool frog • Great crested newt • Smooth newt • Palmate newt - Example alien species: • Edible frogs and Marsh frogs • African clawed frog • American bullfrog • European midwife toad • Fire bellied toad • Alpine newt |
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Common Frog (Rana temporaria) |
Olive green-brown, can be yellow/pink/red/lime/cream/black, Black bars on hind legs, Dark ‘mask’ behind the eyes - Widespread - Generalist habitat use, typical species of garden ponds - Hibernates in the winter under rocks or underwater buried in mud/vegetation • Breeds in a range of small water bodies. E.g. puddles, ponds, lakes, canals in early spring • Spawn laid in clumps up to 2000/ clutch- small black eggs with thick jelly coating • Light bronze tadpoles hatch after 2-4 weeks, tadpoles metamorphose after ~16 weeks in June to September • Reach sexual maturity after 2-3 years
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Common toad (Bufo bufo) |
Golden iris, Warty dry skin, Brown to olive-brown but can be darker, Pale belly with dark speckles, Tend to crawl rather than hop - Widespread in UK but populations are declining - Hibernates in mid/compost/dead wood, emerges in spring later then frogs • Prefers deeper water bodies in woodland/scrub, tolerates fish • Unequal (male-bias) sex ratio • Lays 1,500-5,000 eggs in strings (double rows of small black eggs, thick jelly coating) • Tadpoles hatch after 2-4 weeks, are darker than common frog tadpoles with shorter tail and bulkier heads • Toadlets emerge after ~16 weeks • Reach sexual maturity at 2-3 years |
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Natterjack toad (Epidalea calamita) |
Green, brown or cream, Strong pale cream/yellow stripe along back, Green iris, Dark ‘warts’ on back with yellow/red tips, Tend to run rather then hop - Small isolated populations due to specificity of habitat (coastal sand dune systems coastal marshes and sandy heaths) - Considerable translocations have been successful • Adults emerge from hibernation in early spring, breed from April-June • Lay strings of eggs in single rows • Eggs hatch after one week, metamorphosis complete after 3-8 weeks |
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Northern pool frog (Pelophylax lessonae) |
Pair of ridged run from eyes down the back, Brown/green with dark blotches across back, sometimes with cream/yellow dorsal stripe - Went extinct in the UK in the 1990s, became reintroduced - Found in damp, densely vegetated areas, with slow flowering water sources e.g. calm rivers/ponds/marshes • Breed in May/June • Eggs brown and yellow, laid in small “rafts” • Pair of vocal sacs on either side of mouth on males • Metamorphosis in later summer ¥ Extinct in the wild by 1995 ¥ UK populations belonged to a Northern genetic clade ¥ Reintroductions from here initiated mid-2000s ¥ Adults, juveniles, tadpoles and spawn were collected from Sweden from 2005 to 2008 ¥ Screened for diseases and then reintroduced to Norfolk, populations have subsequently established |
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Great crested newt (Triturus cristatus) |
Largest of the UK newts- up to 15cm, Males have crest if back- more pronounced in breeding season, Males have white flash on tail, females have yellow/orange one, Bright orange belly with large irregular dark splotches, Black/dark brown skin with ‘warty’ appearance - Widespread but declining - Favours large ponds with abundant vegetation and no fish - European protected species • Over winter and emerge in March/April • Elaborate mating ritual before eggs are laid • Pale eggs laid individually and wrapped in leaves under water- jelly sticks leaf together • Larvae hatch after 2-4 weeks, efts leave pond around August • Larvae are brown with black blotches and a tail filament |
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Smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris) |
Grey to brown skin, belly yellow/pale orange with dark blotches, Males with wavy crest during breeding season, Throat has large blotches - Widespread but not always abundant - Relies on garden ponds - Below 10cm in body length - The only newt occurring in Ireland |
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Palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus) |
Smooth brown/green/grey skin, yellow belly with dark spots, Males get black filament at top of tails and black webbing on feet during breeding season, Unspotted pink/yellow throat - UK’s most widespread newt - Prefers heathland/moorland/bogs with acidic soul and shallow ponds - Same size as smooth newts, particularly females are difficult to distinguish |
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Alien species: Green frogs |
• Marsh frog (Pelophylax ridibundus) • Edible frog (Pelophylax kl. esculentus) • Introduced in 1930s to Kent- has since spread to Sussex • Other introductions since throughout Southern England |
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Alien species: African clawed frog |
• Xenopus laevis • Imported from South Africa for use in labs- escapes in Isle of Wight and in South Wales • Fully aquatic, very hardy • Little evidence of breeding activity |
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Alien species: American bullfrog |
• Lithobates catesbeianus • Very voracious and concerning introduced species • Will way anything smaller than it • Historically part of the pet and food trade from where releases originated, but import into the EU has been banned • Sporadic populations in Southern England • Currently being controlled by Natural England- eradication required |
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Alien species: European midwife toad |
• Alytes obstetricans • Midwife roads have bred successfully in the UK • A population has been living in Bedford for over 100 years, established populations elsewhere including mid-Wales, Yorkshire, Worksop, Cambridge and South Devon |
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Alien species: Fire bellies toad |
• Bombina bombina • Breeding has occurred in both Devon and South London • Unlikely to spread further due to specialist habitat requirements |
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Invasive species: Alpine newt |
• Ichthyosaura alpestris • Use similar breeding habitats as native newts and can outcompete them • Can be locally widespread in South, but it common overall • Can be a disease vector |
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British Reptiles |
• 6 Native species - Common lizard - Sand lizard - Slow worm - Adder - Grass snake - Smooth snake • Example alien species - Wall lizard - Green lizard - Aesculapian snake - European pond terrapin - Red-eared slider turtle |
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Common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) |
Scaly skin, Males have prominent swelling at base of tail, Usually brown but can be yellow/green/black, Males have yellow/orange belly with black spots, Females have pale unspotted belly - Widespread in UK - Mostly ground-dwelling - Favours open sunny spaces and dry exposed locations near denser cover - Females incubate eggs for 6-13 weeks internally and ‘give birth’ to up to 11 individuals |
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Sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) |
Short legged, stocky, short and deep head, Variable shades of grey to green, Dark band down back with stronger paler stripes, Males develop bright green flanks during breeding season - One is the UK’s rarest reptile species - Lives on sandy heathland and coastal sand dunes - Digs burrows for shelter and egg-laying - only oviparous UK lizard |
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Slow worm (Anguis fragilis) |
Smooth, shiny, scaly skin, Males: grey-brown in colour, may have blue spots, Females: golden-brown with dark stripe on back. Not a snake because it has: visible eyelid and can blink, have flat forked tongue, can drip tails of attacked - Widespread but not common - Found under stokes, wood, sheets of metal, compost heaps - Females incubate eggs internally and ‘give birth’ to 6-12 young |
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Adder (Vipera berus) |
Diagnostic zig-zag pattern down back and a Very or ‘X’ on head, Red iris with vertical pupil, Triangular head and stocky body, 60-80cm in length, Males grey with black markings, Females light brown with dark brown markings - Widely distributed but not common, most northerly viper species - Found in open heathland/moorland/woodland/sea cliffs with plenty of sunlight - UK’s only venomous snake, painful but rarely deadly • Active during the day- hunts when warm, sit-and-wait when cold • Males fight to secure females • Females are viviparous- give birth to live offspring (3-20 individuals) |
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Grass snake (Natrix natrix - should bow be Natrix helvetica) |
Grey-green dorsum, cream/yellow/light green belly with dark markings, Up to 150cm in length, Circular pupil, Distinctive yellow and black collar behind head. Shy snakes, feign death if startled - Widespread but not common in England and Wales, only sporadic occurrence in Scotland - Good swimmers, often live around freshwater (e.g. lakes, ponds, reservoir) and in gardens with ponds; predates on amphibians • Only egg-laying snake species in Britain- lays between 2-105 eggs (usually ~30) in June/July- laid in compost heaps/leaf and log piles/ dung heaps/holes and crevices • Juveniles hatch in late summer |
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Smooth snake (Coronella austriaca) |
Grey-brown with paler belly, Dark lines along side of head through the eye, circular pupil, Usually two rows of dark spots down back with heart shaped crown on the head - UK’s rarest snake - Very secretive, reintroductions complex - Often coexist with sand lizards - Live in dense mature heather on dry/sandy/gravely heathland - Hide under stones/logs/debris in sunny spots - Females incubate eggs internally and give birth to 4-15 live young in September |
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Alien species: Wall lizard |
• Podarcis muralis • Origin and current distribution unclear |
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Alien species: Green lizard |
• Lacerta bilineata • Large (up to 30cm) and completely green- males develop blue cheeks while breeding • Historically little evidence of successful egg incubation die to cold weather - although climate change has allowed one population in south to establish and grow • Native to Jersey |
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Alien species: Aesculapian snake |
• Zamenis longissimus • 2m long, non-venomous • Native to Central/Eastern Europe- two colonies in UK: Colwyn Bay (Wales) and Regents Park in London |
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Alien species: European pond terrapin |
• Emys orbicularis • Historically native to UK but went extinct ~8000 years ago through climate cooling • Those found in UK are probably escapees from pet trade • Unclear if they age breeding |
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Alien species: Red-eared slider |
• Trachemys scripta elegans • Distinctive appearance- red/yellow stripes • Almost certainly introduced by humans through pet trade- aggressive • Abundance/distribution in UK unclear but thought to be increasing |
