Kamal Ghorui
Meet the slow worm slithering across the garden like a tiny liquid shadow. A legless lizard, experts say, that somehow manages to fool everyone. Kids scream, gardeners blink, and people step over it thinking it’s a harmless snake. It’s long, smooth, scaly, and might sniff the air with its little tongue. It eats slugs, worms, and bugs. And, strangely enough, it can shed its tail if trouble comes calling.Found across most of Europe, creeping into western Asia, slow worms prefer damp places. Heathland edges, woodland fringes. Gardens too. Compost heaps are reportedly their favourite hunting grounds. They’re nocturnal, shy, and often overlooked. But stick around long enough and you’ll notice their sleek bodies gliding through the soil, eyes blinking at the moonlight.
What is a slow worm and how it is different from a snake
Despite appearances, slow worms aren’t snakes or worms. They arelegless lizards. A distant cousin of snakes, apparently. Snakes are in the suborder Serpentes. They have eyelids and blink. But, snakes don’t. Their tongues are short, thick, not the thin, forked snakes stick out to taste the world. Even their movement is different. Slow worms are a bit stiff. Less fluid. Their scales don’t overlap. It helps them burrow. No snagging, no fuss. They can disappear under a clump of soil in seconds.
How to spot slow worm
Slow worms can reach 16 to 18 inches long, give or take. Males are lighter, sometimes dotted with blue. Females bigger, darker, a stripe down their back. The head merges into the body. No neck. The tail just grows out. Skin is brown, gold, sometimes mottled. Smooth, shiny. Perfect for slipping under leaves or hiding beneath garden debris. If you find tiny patches of reptile skin, that’s likely a slow worm shedding bit by bit, not all in one go like a snake.
Slow worm: Behaviour and habits
They eat slugs, earthworms, and bugs. Gardeners might secretly love them for this. They brumate in winter. Not quite hibernation, more a slow-down. They choose different shelters than snakes, burrowing underground while snakes hide in cracks.The slow worm drops its tail, thrashes, and confuses the hunter. The worm escapes. Some even emit a smelly poo if threatened. Snakes hiss or bite, quick, aggressive. Slow worms are subtle. They save their bite for love, apparently. A gentle nip during mating, experts say.
Habitat and lifespan of the rarely seen slow worm
In the New Forest, slow worms can be found across the damper and heathier areas. They also occur in grasslands and village gardens, though sightings are rare. Across the UK, they are present throughout lowland England, Scotland, and Wales.Unlike many other British reptiles, slow worms rarely bask in the sun. Like amphibians, they prefer cool, damp habitats such as open woodlands, moist heaths, rough grasslands, and meadows with hedges and scrub. Gardens, particularly compost heaps, also attract them. Their appetite for slugs and snails makes them welcome visitors for gardeners. You might be just as likely to spot one in your own garden as in the New Forest.Slow worms are among the longest-lived lizards, with one recorded at 54 years old, although most live around 15 years.
Why we should care
Slow worms might look like snakes. They move like snakes. But they’re something else entirely. Harmless, fascinating. Little gardeners’ allies, predators of slugs, secretive residents of our green spaces. Keep an eye out. Blink, and you might miss them slinking by.
