This article is from page 34 of the 2007-05-15 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 34 JPG
THE Burren is proving to be a happy home for the most unusual of resi- dents. Not native to Ireland, and ex- tremely rare in most of the country, the Slow Worm, or Anguis Fraglis, has taken up residence in the lime- stone and rock of the Eastern Burren.
Despite its name and appearance, the Slow Worm is neither snake nor worm. It is, in fact, a legless lizard and was introduced to Ireland some- DUOC DOM UNM ER MOONRETA YA
One such lizard was discovered by a group of locals last week and brought to fascinate the children of Carron National School before being
released into the wild.
“IT was walking down the road with a cow when | came upon the Slow Worm. They like to lie out on the rocks and on the stones and soak up the sun. This is possibly why he was lying out on the road, he was soak- ing up the sun,” said local man Wil- lie O’Reilly who found the unusual reptile.
“We came across another one a couple of years ago in and around the same area. They are not natural to Ireland but were introduced from abroad at some stage in the past. For some reason, they seem to like the area around the east of the Burren.
The Slow Worm is native to main-
land Europe and is usually found in grassy areas and woodlands. It is unknown how the lizards came to Ireland and why they have a strange fascination with the Burren.
“If they get caught by a bird, they can let off their tail and escape. The bird can still feel the tail in their mouth so they don’t come after the Slow Worm. Their tail can then grow back. This one had more of a stump rather than a tail so it looks like he had to shed his tail recently enough,’ continued Willie.
The Slow Worm, discovered in the Burren, was just eight inches long but they can grow to as long as 18 inches. After being given a tour of
Carron National School, the lizard was released back into the wild in a townland know as Glencolumbkille, beside where he was discovered.
Although they are often mistaken for snakes, these Slow Worms have small eyes with eyelids that blink and a notched tongue rather than a forked tongue.
A fully-grown adult can live to about 30 years in the wild and up to 54 years in captivity.