Despite appearances, the slow worm is a legless lizard, not a worm or a snake!

Slow worms are mainly found in Europe and North-west Africa and are protected in the United Kingdom, Poland and Slovakia.

But since one of Vaalweekblad readers recently found one in her garden, we share this info about slow worms.

Slow worms can be distinguished from snakes by several features: their eyelids, which snakes lack (having brille instead); their small ear openings, which again snakes lack; and their tongues, which are notched in the centre rather than completely forked like a snake’s.

Slow worms seldom bite people. They can be handled gently without danger if you need to move one.

Slugs and snails make up a large proportion of a slow worm’s diet, so avoid the use of slug pellets or chemical fertilisers and insecticides. They also eat worms and spiders.

While they don’t tend to bite humans, slow worms do have another important use for their teeth.

The breeding season takes place from May to June. Males become aggressive during this time, competing with each other for a mate.

As part of the mating process, the male slow worm takes hold of the female by biting her neck or head.

Slow worms are slow-moving and can be easily caught, which has given rise to the folk etymology that the “slow” in slow worm is the same as the English adjective slow; the actual origin simply means “slowworm”.

What should you do if you spot a slow worm?
The answer is: leave it alone, it should find its way back to where it was hiding.