29 September β 28 October
the coastal calendar, shifted 14 days later for this region
Under stones, logs and compost in damp shade; almost never out in the open.
Another legless lizard, live-bearing, and one of the longest-lived reptiles anywhere β over thirty years in the wild. The dropped tail never fully regrows, so a blunt stump is an animal that survived something.
photos, sightings and recordings, off this site
where this species is on the list
| Phase | When | Length | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| wintering in cover | 29 October β 7 April | 161 days | Reptile dormancy β sluggish rather than truly asleep, and broken by warm spells. |
| going about the year | 8 April β 8 May | 31 days | Feeding, holding territory, doing nothing the calendar singles out. |
| courting | 9 May β 7 June | 30 days | Song, display, fighting, scent-marking β pairs forming or reaffirming. |
| pregnant | 8 June β 28 August | 82 days | Pregnant. Nothing to see from outside, which is why the dates matter. |
| raising young | 29 August β 28 September | 31 days | Dependent young in the nest, den or burrow, being fed. |
| young dispersing | 29 September β 28 October | 30 days | Young leaving for good, looking for a territory of their own. |