Herptiles in Dorset

Reptiles and amphibians are related although there are some fundamental differences between them. The two are usually grouped together and are sometimes known as herptiles. I will not attempt to explain the differences as my purpose here is to help with finding and identifying them rather than understanding their biology.

The smooth snake is a nationally scarce species but numerous in Dorset on the heath

but they are very difficult to find.

All six native species of reptiles, plus a couple of introduced species, occur in Dorset. They are restricted to snakes and lizards here but worldwide reptiles species are numerous and much more diverse. Our British native snakes are the adder (sometimes called the viper), the grass snake and the smooth snake. Our lizard species are the slow-worm, the common lizard and the sand lizard. In addition to these native species you can also find the wall lizard and the green lizard; these are often around the sandy cliffs of Bournemouth and Boscombe.

Amphibians are restricted to two groups, newts and frogs/toads. The three species of native newts you can encounter here are the great crested, the palmate and the smooth newt. We also have the common frog, common toad and natterjack toad as native species and the introduced marsh frog. The natterjack toad and the marsh frog are very restricted in range.

Apart from the native species listed and the more well established colonies of introduced species you can encounter other oddities that have either been released or have escaped from captivity. Always expect the unexpected, especially near large human settlements! There can be exotic species of lizard seen, in some ponds there are terrapins and you may even encounter salamanders. Most escaped species do not survive long in the wild but some have thrived and can be a nuisance, especially terrapins!