lizard out the garden

tabatha

my sister went out her garden last night to have a smoke. she nearly jumped out of her skin when she looked on the ground there was a baby lizard! she poked it with a brush and it went over onto its back. she then ran inside. she turned off the light and the thing turned over and ran away! how sick!!! i have only heard the other day that people are spotting these things everywhere now. bring back the cold weather i say!

tallus

Can you get a description of the Lizard and a location ? It was probably only a Lacerta Vivipara or common lizard, and is protected as our only native species of Lizard. Tho I have heard of people seeing Green Lizards by the seaside, probably Lacerta Viridis *I think*.

lightening

Where do these guys live, my brother saw one in the bog of all places! (the place where you get turf, not the toilet) Is there any in Dublin?

tallus

I have seen them in Manor Kilbride and Glendalough in Wicklow. Never heard of anybody seeing one in a built up area tho. They usually live near water and bask on rocks.

Alun

Seen a few of them this summer out in the Wicklow Hills, usually sunning themselves on convenient rocks.

Duras

tabatha wrote:

my sister went out her garden last night to have a smoke. she nearly jumped out of her skin when she looked on the ground there was a baby lizard! she poked it with a brush and it went over onto its back. she then ran inside. she turned off the light and the thing turned over and ran away! how sick!!! i have only heard the other day that people are spotting these things everywhere now. bring back the cold weather i say!

How vicious, poke the poor baby lizard, turn it on its back... And then your sister was the frightened one! If she is to be afraid of something, that's the cigarettes... If she wasn't a smoker none of this would've happen in the first place!

FranknFurter

Never seen one of these myself, dying to though. Anyone able to get a photo?
Id love to watch them in the wild, i've been hearing reports about them everywhere this year.

B

Alun

FranknFurter wrote:

Never seen one of these myself, dying to though. Anyone able to get a photo?
Id love to watch them in the wild, i've been hearing reports about them everywhere this year.

B

Usually by the time you've seen them, and shouted to the person you're with "Oh look, I've found a lizard!" they've buggered off and hidden amongst the undergrowth, let alone give you time to get the camera out and take a photo Ditto for snakes (not here in Ireland, of course). I live in hope though.

FranknFurter

aww well, I can hope!

Just found this, interesting link http://www.iwt.ie/lizards1.php

and

http://www.iwt.ie/lizards2.php

B

tallus

They shed their tail instantly if you catch them, I found that out when I was about 14 years old and camping in Co Wicklow. Haven't seen one since but Glendalough is supposed to have plenty of them. I brought my camera out that way several times in the hope of capturing one basking but alas there were way too many people wandering around.

tabatha

Duras wrote:

How vicious, poke the poor baby lizard, turn it on its back... And then your sister was the frightened one! If she is to be afraid of something, that's the cigarettes... If she wasn't a smoker none of this would've happen in the first place!

get a life!!


she is living in kildare. dont know what it looked like, she did say it was small.

moneyblues

I live near the sea in North County Dublin and my back garden is ful of common lizards. However, sadly, the only time I actually see them is when one of my cats catches one.

Most times I can rescue it and move it too a nearby field. They move quite slowly (especially when they are just out of hibernation) and seem to be dependent on camouflage for avoiding predators. They are certainly no match for the cats! Does anyone else have this problem?:(

tallus

I wouldn't call it a problem ! I'd love to have a few of them in my back garden, when they have reached the correct body temp they can move exceedingly fast!
As far as I know they are protected along with the rest of our native herptofauna. Any chance of getting a photo moneyblues??

moneyblues

I didn't mean the lizards were a problem! I meant the cats for catching them.
The lizards are great. I don't have a photo and I'm unlikely to see another one until next spring - even then I kinda hope I don't since I only saw them when the cats brought them into the house as a "present". I double bell the cats to try and decrease the numbers of birds they catch but I guess that doesn't work with lizards.

You're right about them being protected. I wish my cats understood that.

The_Radiator

No need for insults like that.
The Radiator banned for 1 week.

tallus

moneyblues wrote:

I didn't mean the lizards were a problem! I meant the cats for catching them.
The lizards are great. I don't have a photo and I'm unlikely to see another one until next spring - even then I kinda hope I don't since I only saw them when the cats brought them into the house as a "present". I double bell the cats to try and decrease the numbers of birds they catch but I guess that doesn't work with lizards.

You're right about them being protected. I wish my cats understood that.

It's such a pity, I'd love to see a photo and you're probably correct in assuming that they are going in to Hibernation, it's that time of year. I'm starting to slow down my tortoises at the moment for hibernation.

Dyr

Am i the only person who finds the idea of slowing a tortoise down funny?

"whooaah easy there bronco!!"

tallus

Ha Ha I just realised what I typed ! They can move when they need to but sadly yes they are quite slow even at top speed

FranknFurter

Just back from my sisters wedding, aunt of mine there mentioned that she has seen a few of these in her garden, and she lives in Palmerstown!
They must be doing a lot better these days to be so widespread.:)

B

tallus

Probably global warming heh

condra

could be. more lizards, more big spiders.

I never knew we had any lizards in ireland. Thats very kool. What do they live on?

tallus

Presumably they live on invertebrates.
http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/reptiles/Lacerta_vivipara/more_info.html#Biolo
There's downloadable video there of one of the Lizards in action.