Tuesday, May 26, 2009

I'm being followed by a boa constrictor...


... alright, I exaggerate a bit (okay, a lot), but I encountered this creature on a walk at the weekend.


It's a slow worm (angius fragilis) basking in the sun on one of Creeting St Peter's many footpaths. It isn't actually a snake, although easily confused for one, but is actually a legless lizard. The test? Lizards have eyelids, snakes don't. Of course, they aren't dangerous, but at this time of year, they are a bit sluggish and vulnerable to birds and, to be honest, being trodden on.

The main threat to them otherwise is domestic cats, as they have little to defend themselves. Luckily, my two are probably too stupid to know what to do if they encounter one (I love them really, but they are still adapting to country life...).

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