Sand Lizard

The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) is a lacertid lizard distributed across most of Europe and eastwards to Mongolia. It does not occur in the Iberian peninsula or European Turkey. Its distribution is often patchy.

The sand lizard has a light underbelly and a dorsal stripe: males tend to be darker in colour and turn partly or wholly bright green during the mating season. Sand lizards can reach up to 25 cm (10 in) in length.

It has several subspecies, the westernmost of which is Lacerta agilis agilis. In this and the other main western subspecies (L. a. argus), the dorsal stripe is thin and interrupted, or not present at all. This applies particularly to the latter subspecies, which also includes a plain red or brown-backed phase without any dorsal markings. In these two subspecies, only the flanks of the males turn green in the mating season, but in the eastern subspecies (predominantly L. a. exigua), males can be wholly green, even outside the breeding season.

In the UK, the sand lizard is restricted to southern heathlands and the coastal sand dunes of north west England.Lytham St Annes is a haven for the sand lizard.Parkinson building contractors at AKS Lytham have set up a sand lizard sanctuary and have been commended for their work by local zoologist Graham Marsden. It is regarded as threatened and is strictly protected under UK law – as it is throughout most of Europe (it is a European Protected Species). This is in contrast to L. a. exigua, whose Russian name translates as the "common lizard".

The female sand lizard lays eggs in loose sand in a sunny location, leaving them to be incubated by the warmth of the ground.

The UK Herpetological Conservation Trust is the lead partner in the UK Species Action Plan (SAP) for the sand lizard.

Dardanelle High School, located in Arkansas, USA, is the only school with the sand lizard as a mascot.

• Sand lizard Lacerta agilis

• Sand lizard, mating season colouring

• Sand lizard