26-07-2004, 09:02 PM
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scorpions in Sheerness
wrote in message
news
On 26 Jul 2004 14:05:00 GMT, (Nick Maclaren) wrote:
In article ,
writes:
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| | almost anything is possible nowadays. My wife saw a small lizard
in
| | our Dutch garden last week.
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| That isn't surprising at all. Lacerta vivipara is common a LONG
| way north of the Netherlands
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| So are arctic foxes,but that doesn't mean that they are two a penny in
| Zuid Holland.
Perhaps I should have spelled it out. Those lizards are widespread
over all of Europe, from the south to the latitude of Scotland and
perhaps higher. That range included the Netherlands, the last I
heard.
| - I think that I saw one at 800 metres
| near Inverness last week, though I didn't know they lived that high
| there. And, with you, it could have been other lizards as well.
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| My wife saw this one at one metre. It can't be that common in our
| garden otherwise we would have noticed it before and almost certainly
| one of the cats would have caught one by now.
Common doesn't mean they occur every few feet. And how do you know
that the cats haven't caught a few, but not shown you them?
because as far as we can tell they show us everything they catch and
only kill for later inspection, if we are not home.
--
Martin
I wouldn't advise trying to catch one. I cornered one in Greece as a child,
and was somewhat horrified to find it dispensing with its tail (in the grip
of my hand). They wriggle quite a while after the lizard is gone.
They apparently grow a new tail. Quite amazing.
I live just north of london. never seen a scorpion, lizard or snake in the
UK. Probably for the better... :O)
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