Spotted male sand lizard basking in the Spring sunshine at the weekend.
Males are stockier with heavy set jaws and larger heads. The markings along their sides are also more crowded.

The biggest give away, as you can see in the video, is when they shed their brown skin and become a more vibrant green during breeding season.


Females stay brown all year round with much more regular markings and larger ocelli (markings that look like eyes).
The video was captured following special guidelines so as not to disturb this rare and protected species.

Thank you for treading carefully when you visit Formby's nature haven as you never know what wonderful wildlife might be hiding close by.