Many reptiles live within the New Forest National park and one inhabitant, the ADDER is venomous, although it is extremely unusual for a bite to prove fatal for humans. They usually strike when threatened and feel the need to defend them selves. Adders have a dark prominent zig-zag stripe down their back. The SAND LIZARD is quite rare due to the habitat in which it lives. As its name suggests, the lizard lives on sandy heathland where it lays its eggs in a sunny and warm spot to aid incubation. In spring the male lizard turns bright green, down both sides of its body and face. The COMMON TOAD has poisonous warty skin that acts as a deterrent to most predators. The toad is not dangerous to humans, although some people are allergic to its skin. The toad is quite lazy as it waits for food to come to it. The NATTERJACK TOAD is rare and only found in a few locations throughout the UK. The toad has a distinct yellow stripe down its back and warty skin like the common toad. It prefers a shallow pool, heated by the sun and unlike the common toad, spawns later in the year. Due to its short back legs, the toad does not really jump. The COMMON FROG has long back legs and its skin is wet and smooth, unlike the warty toad. The frog is much more energetic than the toad and it lives in ponds, although it isn't as common as it used to be, due to the decline in the number of ponds. SLOW WORMS can be found in the National Park and although they look like snakes, they are in fact lizards without legs. Slow worms are glossy in appearance and can shed their tails, like other lizards, when attacked. The non-venomous, grey-brown coloured SMOOTH SNAKE also lives in the New Forest, although it's pretty rare. It catches small prey such as lizards by stunning them, then coils itself around the prey, like a boa constrictor. The dark brown or green COMMON LIZARD can be found in various habitats and it gives birth to live young, unlike the sand lizard that lays eggs. The common lizard is similar in appearance to the sand lizard, although it's usually darker in colour and doesn't have such prominent markings. GRASS SNAKES are also found here and are harmless to humans or pets. They have distinct ear-shaped yellow and black markings behind their heads and will eat frogs and toads. Grass snakes can be seen swimming in ponds while looking for their prey or cooling down.
