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Lizard, weird orange vein?: |
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ironbolt Member Joined: 14 Aug 2005 No. of posts: 23 View other posts by ironbolt |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 In the garden the other day,under a sandbag that was laying around,was a lizard of soem sort,so i picked it up,and put it in a tank(the tanks massive,and has everything it needs) . Then yesterday i found another one,about 5 metres from where i found the last. So that went in the tank to,they're the same species of course. But i still dont know much about lizards,and i cant identify it..... its like a breed between a common lizard,a sandlizard and a crested newt or something. They are only babys,2-4 weeks old. It's a light brown colour,has 2 thick black stripes on its back,then a little black stripe,its underside has a weird 2mm thick line of birght orange.... Can you indentify it please? (i live in south wales BTW) -thanks. -visit Runenetwork.com - |
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Iowarth Admin Group Joined: 12 Apr 2004 No. of posts: 222  View other posts by Iowarth |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 Hi Any chance you could post a photo. Plenty of experts here but a good picture is better than athousand words! Cheers Chris Davis, Site Administrator Co-ordinator, Sand Lizard Captive Breeding Programme |
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ironbolt Member Joined: 14 Aug 2005 No. of posts: 23 View other posts by ironbolt |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 Ill try... but my webcams a bit...erm stupid,and doesnt like taking good pictures,and my digital camera has a power problem,drains the battery in 3 seconds...and...my phone ...i have no credit to email it to my self to put it here...but hey,ill try. -visit Runenetwork.com - |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090  View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 Are these lizards slow moving with velvety skin? Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
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ironbolt Member Joined: 14 Aug 2005 No. of posts: 23 View other posts by ironbolt |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 Yes kinda. and they hate water..... -visit Runenetwork.com - |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090 View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 It sounds like they may be newt efts. Once newts metamorphose they live on land for two or more years. As they are out of water they are often thought to be lizards. Usually they are found under things and move slowly. Lizards have very distinct scales, newts have smooth velvety skin in the case of our two smaller native species and warty skin in the case of the great crested newt.
Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
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ironbolt Member Joined: 14 Aug 2005 No. of posts: 23 View other posts by ironbolt |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 But they hate water,and they dont have a newt like tail........and all pictures ive seen of crested newts etc,look nothing like these,these look quite like a male common lizard.... -visit Runenetwork.com - |
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Iowarth Admin Group Joined: 12 Apr 2004 No. of posts: 222 View other posts by Iowarth |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 Hi Unfortunately most pictures of newts show them in water and particularly display the crest. You say these don't have a newt like tail. Is the tail totally rounded - a literal circle in cross-section or is it flattened vertically? Don't be put-off by the apparent hatred of water - as Gemma has said once they have metamorphosed they become primarily terrestrial and take a pretty dim view of water! Chris Davis, Site Administrator Co-ordinator, Sand Lizard Captive Breeding Programme |
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ironbolt Member Joined: 14 Aug 2005 No. of posts: 23 View other posts by ironbolt |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 Nope,not completley round...nearly though...what hapens if they are newts after 2 years? and do they eat the same as lizards etc? -visit Runenetwork.com - |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090 View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 After a couple of years or so in the wild newts will become sexually mature and seek a breeding pond. This is when the crests grow and they look like most of the pictures you see. Once the breeding season is over they return to land until the next spring. Here is a newly metamorphosed newt, is it similar to your animals?
Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
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ironbolt Member Joined: 14 Aug 2005 No. of posts: 23 View other posts by ironbolt |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 Nope,nothing like it,100% different.. -visit Runenetwork.com - |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090 View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 PS sorry I couldn't post the image earlier, after a fruitless trip around the garden with a torch to find one, I found the piccy in my email archives a couple of minutes ago. Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
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ironbolt Member Joined: 14 Aug 2005 No. of posts: 23 View other posts by ironbolt |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 Ah no problem.  So any ideas guys on what mine could be? ill take a pic soon..well ill try. -visit Runenetwork.com - |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090 View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 Well you'll have to try to get a piccy then. Be interested to see what they are. Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
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Iowarth Admin Group Joined: 12 Apr 2004 No. of posts: 222 View other posts by Iowarth |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 The information you have given suggests that these are indeed newly metamorphosed Smooth or Palmate Newts. After two years they reach breeding age and enter ponds for this. The males then develop their crests and mating activity can persist throughout the spring and early summer. Thereafter, they generally leave the pond, becoming terrestrial again prior to hibernating in Autumn. Like lizards they will eat most invertebrates they can catch. But, being much slower moving than lizards their diet is far more restricted. During their aquatic phase newts are notorious for catching and eating the tadpoles of other species of amphibian. Chris Davis, Site Administrator Co-ordinator, Sand Lizard Captive Breeding Programme |
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GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090 View other posts by GemmaJF |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 I think I posted that at the same time  Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant |
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ironbolt Member Joined: 14 Aug 2005 No. of posts: 23 View other posts by ironbolt |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 Will they currently eat crickets and grasshopers? -visit Runenetwork.com - |
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Iowarth Admin Group Joined: 12 Apr 2004 No. of posts: 222 View other posts by Iowarth |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 Looks like we were all posting simultaneously! Is it a race? <Feels adrenaline surging at thought of competitiveness> <on second thoughts never could be bothered with competitiveness - goes back to sleep!> Chris Davis, Site Administrator Co-ordinator, Sand Lizard Captive Breeding Programme |
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Iowarth Admin Group Joined: 12 Apr 2004 No. of posts: 222 View other posts by Iowarth |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 Re eating crickets and grasshoppers - if they can catch them probably! If they are newts, tend to prefer small worms, slugs and the like. Chris Davis, Site Administrator Co-ordinator, Sand Lizard Captive Breeding Programme |
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ironbolt Member Joined: 14 Aug 2005 No. of posts: 23 View other posts by ironbolt |
Posted: 14 Aug 2005 Well one of em's about 3 inches,and the other is 1 1/2 ,and the smaller one does buger all,cept hide,and the bigger one,climbs up stuff,and he bit of the grasshopers leg....lol. -visit Runenetwork.com - |
- Lizard, weird orange vein? |
