Sand lizard

About

The Sand lizard is the lizard most often seen in sunny edges, clearings, clearcuts, along roads, and on rocky slopes. In forested areas — in Polissia, the Carpathians, and Crimea — it prefers such bright places, and in the mountains, it inhabits moderately dry slopes, meadows, forest edges, and shrubs. Overall, it has been found in the mountains of Asia at altitudes of up to 3500 m.

This is a robust lizard with a short head: the body length without the tail is up to 11 cm, and the tail can be twice as long. The coloration is variable. Females are yellowish-brown, brown, or brownish-gray, rarely green. Males in spring, during the mating season, turn green: in western subspecies, only the sides turn green, while in eastern ones, including in Ukraine, the male can be almost completely green. The larger and stronger the male, the brighter its green color. There are also rusty-brown individuals with a uniform back.

The lizard is active during the day and basks in the sun for long periods, hiding in the shade during heat. In the mountains, it emerges from hibernation in April or even early May, while adults go into hibernation at the end of September, and young ones at the beginning of October. It mainly feeds on insects — in Ukraine, beetles are the most common in its diet, followed by grasshoppers and hymenopterans — as well as spiders and other small invertebrates. If caught by the tail, the lizard can shed it, and it will regrow later.

From the second half of May, the female lays 4–15 eggs: she digs a hole 6–7 cm deep in loose soil in a sunny spot, and then the eggs are warmed by the heat of the earth. The Sand lizard reaches sexual maturity in its third year of life. It is not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine, but it is protected in the EU as a species of Annex IV of the Habitats Directive. Do not catch lizards by the tail and do not take them home — they die in captivity.

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 · Romania · Czechia · Slovakia · Poland · Austria · Hungary

Mountain ranges

Watershed Ridge, Krasna Polonyna, Pokuttia-Bukovina Carpathians, Gorgany, Rivna Polonyna, Bieszczady, Skole Beskids, Maramureș Mountains, Piatra Craiului, Vihorlat-Gutin Volcanic Ridge

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.

Protection and rules

Not listed in the Red Book of Ukraine; in the EU — Annex IV of the Habitats Directive.

Red Data Book of Ukraine

FAQ