A nimble, pretty little lizard with extremely varied colouring but generally brown, grey or greenish and covered in light or dark spots, flecks and stripes. This lizard may be found in many habitats such as heath, grassland, costal dunes, railway embankments, quarries, mosses and woodland edges. It occurs at very high altitudes in the Scottish highlands.
The common lizard feeds on small insects and other invertebrates. This species used to be found within the city of Edinburgh at sites such as Blackford Hill and even the Botanic Gardens, however, as far as we know it is now missing from these places - a very sad loss to the local fauna. If you have seen them at these places please get in touch with us as the populations are probably vulnerable and may need our help.Lizards were recently rediscovered on Arthur's seat after a gap between records of more than 110 years! The common lizard is often seen in the Pentland Hills and is widely distributed throughout most of Scotland.