Eastern slow worm

About

The Eastern slow worm is a legless lizard that is almost indistinguishable from the well-known fragile slow worm. For a long time, they were considered one species, with the Eastern slow worm being merely a subspecies. In 2010, a group of researchers led by Czech zoologist Václav Gvoždík compared the mitochondrial and nuclear DNA of slow worms from all over Europe and found that several distinct species were hidden under one name. Since then, the Eastern slow worm has been considered a separate species.

The range of the Eastern slow worm extends from the Czech Republic and the Baltic through Eastern Europe to the Caucasus and Iran. Ukraine lies within its range: the international reptile database Reptile Database includes our country in the range of this species, and in neighboring Romania, researchers report that only the Eastern slow worm lives there. Therefore, the slow worms we encounter in the Ukrainian Carpathians and much of Ukraine most likely belong to this species. At the same time, there is currently little detailed genetic research on the regions of Ukraine, and in Central Europe, particularly in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, both species form a contact zone and even hybrids.

It is almost impossible to distinguish the two species by sight. The Eastern slow worm on average has a more massive head, more rows of scales around the body, and a more noticeable external ear opening, but none of these features alone provides a definitive answer. Therefore, on the website, we describe the lifestyle of both slow worms together: it is the same.

This is a smooth, shiny copper-brown or gray "snake" with eyelids that blink, unlike snakes. It lives in forest edges, clearings, gardens, and often basks right on tourist trails. It is most active at dusk and after rain, feeding on slugs, earthworms, and insect larvae. The mating season is from late April to early June, and from mid-October, slow worms hide for winter under logs, roots, in rock crevices, or burrows of rodents. It is completely non-venomous. The Eastern slow worm is not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Where in the Carpathians

The map shows where naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records), not every place it lives. The Ukrainian Carpathians are less studied, so a blank area does not mean the species is absent.

Countries

Ukraine · Slovakia · Romania · Poland · Hungary · Czechia · Serbia

Mountain ranges

Gorgany, Pokuttia-Bukovina Carpathians, Skole Beskids, Watershed Ridge, Low Tatras, Maramureș Mountains, Bieszczady, Rivna Polonyna, Upper Dniester Beskids, Krasna Polonyna

Altitude belts

Foothills (below 600 m) · Beech forests (600–1200 m)

When to see it

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Look-alikes — how to tell them apart

Protection and rules

The Eastern slow worm is not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. Slow worms are safe—do not kill them.

Red Data Book of Ukraine

FAQ