The slow worm (Anguis fragilis) is actually a legless lizard rather than a snake. One is able to differentiate the snakes from the legless lizards by the latter having eyelids and being able to shed their their tails.

Identification
The slow worm is usually a coppery pink colour and has the appearance of a worm. It reaches a size of up to 40cm, but usually smaller.

Female slow worms have dark flanks and a line along their back, while the males have a bulkier head and are a more uniform colour. Juvenile slow worms resemble the females.

Ecology
Slow worms are secretive creatures spending much of their time burrowing through loose soil and leaf litter. They are rarely seen on the surface. The slow worm can be found in a variety of habitats including heaths, rough grassland, gardens and embankments.

A favourite food of the slow worm is slugs, and as such they are a huge benefit in the garden or allotment. They can also be found in compost heaps.

Slow worms like many other lizards can shed their tail if threatened. The tail will grow back as a stump, but it is best not to handle them.

Slow Worms in Buckinghamshire
Like the adder and the lizard, slow worms are scarce across much of Bucks due to the clay soils and intensive farming. The best places to find slow worms are on the Greensand Ridge (northeastern Bucks), the Chilterns (southeastern Bucks) and the glacial sands in the south of the county.

Protection
The slow worm is protected from killing, injury or trade under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.