Zootoca vivipara (Lichtenstein, 1823)

A British Species, for those whose interest in wildlife is strictly regional:

Photographed in Kingley Vale, South Downs National Park, West Sussex, UK, in March 2012, Using an Olympus E-420 with a Zuiko 40-150mm lens and one KOOD magnifier.

There are six species of non-avian reptile recognised as native to the UK.

As someone whose primary interest in reptiles and amphibians, this is distinctly unsatisfactory.

The majority of reptiles, by a small margin, are birds. The only other Archosaurian reptiles alive today are crocodiles, alligators and the gharial, of which there are only a handful of species, of relatively uniform form and function. The Anapsids, recently shown to be close relatives of the Archosaurs, comprise terrapins, tortoises and sea-turtles, still a fairly minute group, but, particularly as the leatherback seaturtle still clings to existence, showing a much greater diversity of form and function.
 
The Sphenodonts are even smaller - represented by only two species of tuatara - but their relatives, the Squamates, comprise the lizards, snakes and amphisbaenans, and in terms of number of species, are more diverse than the mammals. 

No squamate* known to man naturally extends further north - at least, according the ARKive - than this little creature, the common or livebearing lizard,

Zootoca vivipara

(Lichtenstein, 1823)

- Lacertinae

- Lacertidae    

- Scincomorpha  

- See also Trachylepis varia

- Scleroglossa        

- See also Lygodactylus capensis and Thelotornis capensis.

- Squamata                

- Lepidosauria              

- Lepidosauromorpha      

- Sauria                                

- See also Burhinus vermiculatus, Sterna hirundo, Ardea goliath, Chalcophaps indica and Troglodytes troglodytes.

- Diapsida                                 

- Romeriida                                  

- Reptilia                                         

- Amniota                                           

- Reptiliomorpha                                   

- See also Hipposideros vittatus

- Tetrapoda                                               

- See also Chiromantis xerampelina and Rana temporaria

- Sarcopterygii                                             

- Osteichthys                                                   

- See also Synchiropus splendidus

- Teleostomi                                                        

- Gnathostomata                                                     

- Vertebrata                                                               

- Craniata                                                                    

- Chordata                                                                     

- Deuterostomia                                                               

- Nephrozoa                                                                        

See also Ligia oceanica, Metisella willemi, Acada biseriata, Anthocharis cardamines, Laelia robusta, Zebronia phenice, Crambus pascuella, Senaspis haemorrhoa, Helophilus pendulus, Episyrphus balteatus, Diasemopsis meigenii, Dolichotachina caudata, Megistocera filipes, Metadon inermis, Panorpa germanica, Melolontha melolontha, Malachius bipustulatus, Demetrias atricapillus, Otiorhynchus atroapterus, Cheilomenes lunata, Anthia fornasiini, Oedemera noobilis, Synagris proserpina, Vespula germanica, Astata tropicalis, Hagenomyia tristis, Andrena nigroaenea, Pephricus, Anoplocnemis curvipes, Ranatra, Grypocoris stysi, Cyathosternum prehensile, Lobosceliana loboscelis, Stictogryllacris punctata, Sibylla, Humbe tenuicornis, Pseudagrion hageni, Enallagma cyathigerum,Rhyothemis semihyalina, Dicranopalpus ramosus, Alopecosa barbipes, Enoplognatha ovata, Argiope bruennichi and Hyllus argyrotoxus

- Bilateralia                                                                                

- Eumetazoa                                                                                  

 - Animalia                                                                                        

- Eukaryota                                                                                         

And that's all, folks! 

 

*It is traditionally said to be the most northerly reptile, but as fully endothermic birds range further north and are now acknowledged to be reptiles, this is a misleading statement.