Lizards...In Ireland

sbsquarepants · 19-09-2013 09:37AM

A_Sober_Paddy wrote: »

Wait a minute...Lizards(The common Lizard) is apparently native here in Ireland...Lizards, I've never seen one here, not once in my life...there also a protected species...

Am I the only one who didn't know this

You find them mostly on the west coast as far as I know, nice little critters so they are, although I've also seen one or two of them in Wexford.

Banjo String · 19-09-2013 09:39AM

I was raised literally on.the shores of Lough Neagh, and I've seen quite a few there.

During the summer months, we'd be absolutely infested by 'Lough flys' basically midges, which I think they seemed to like.

In saying that, my dad who still fishes for eels for a living, reports that they've become almost extinct, ie reckons he hasn't seen one in five years or so.

tin79 · 19-09-2013 09:44AM

I am betting 90% of these "lizard" sightings are newts. The one at the Royal Canal almost certainly was.

Populations of actual lizards in Ireland are small and localized.

akura · 19-09-2013 10:23AM

I found this little guy about two years ago.

gobnaitolunacy · 19-09-2013 10:24AM

Was shown one once, caught in a jar as a kid.

Was told it was a baby croc, so I wouldn't go swimming in the river.

returnNull · 19-09-2013 10:29AM

we use to catch them as youngsters when we holidayed in curracloe co. wexford.There tails come off if you grab them by it

presume a defence mechanism(I hope!!)

Wibbs · 19-09-2013 10:42AM

akura wrote: »

I found this little guy about two years ago.

Great pic, You can even see where he/she lost the tip of it's tail and grew a new one. Yep tail loss is a defence mechanism in many lizards.

Riskymove · 19-09-2013 10:45AM

BeerWolf wrote: »

"Common" - I've never seen them!

you misunderstand - its just that they enjoy Dutch Gold and reality TV

returnNull · 19-09-2013 12:58PM

Riskymove wrote: »

you misunderstand - its just that they enjoy Dutch Gold and reality TV

yeah and you can tell when they're adults by the addidas tracksuit bottoms they wear:pac:

Lando Griffin · 19-09-2013 01:41PM

ian87 wrote: »

I was laid out on my towel in Ballinskelligs beach last July and one ran up the leg of my shorts. I got some fright!

If your female that's not a bad image, if your male, please don't post things like that.

aidoh · 19-09-2013 01:51PM

Plenty of them on Howth Head and a few on the Bull Island apparently.
They're not the same as smooth newts, whoever suggested that.
My granny apparently found one when she was doing the gardening years ago. She picked it up and it pissed in her hand and detached it's own tail haha.
They're supposedly common enough but I keep an eye out for them every time I go hiking and never see them.
I've seen more otters than lizards and apparently the auld otters are much harder to come by.

salacious crumb · 19-09-2013 01:53PM

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Actually.. it was the Aliens that came at night... mostly

Hence why Newt would be hidden away in her little corner of the base

/pedantic

Actually, they mostly came at night....mostly.

Just sayin' :pac:

Alun · 19-09-2013 01:56PM

They're up in the Wicklow Mountains too, I've seen a couple when hiking up there. Usually in quite wet, soggy conditions too, which is a bit surprising, I'd always thought they preferred drier conditions.

tin79 · 19-09-2013 01:57PM

returnNull wrote: »

There tails come off if you grab them by it presume a defence mechanism(I hope!!)

Wrong, its contagious leprosy.

Galwayguy35 · 19-09-2013 05:14PM

Bullchomper wrote: »

I thought Ireland was lizard free until I walked into my Mum's Bedroom one day and......

MUM?

Someone had to make that joke sooner or later. Forgive me.

Thats from the original V series isn't it?

Galwayguy35 · 19-09-2013 05:17PM

Used to often see them in the bog when we used to be at the turf, never anywhere else though.

ScumLord · 19-09-2013 05:25PM

Kidchameleon wrote: »

You can see these guys:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viviparous_lizard

Near the Liffey in Memorial Gardens Islandbridge.

that's actually a pretty cool lizard, sounds like a hardy enough little thing.

I've never seen one in Ireland. Don't even see frogs anymore and there used to be a time when you'd always see loads of them. I guess all those classes in school when we were told to go out and bring back the frogspawn to watch one or two make it into a frog wasn't such a good idea.