While walking in the forest meadows, especially in the autumn, when the sun is no longer too strong, we can come across various creatures.

Sometimes it is a lizard, sometimes a grass snake or a field viper. This time, however, I encountered something else - it was slow worm. Although the name is common, the same animal is less so, it looks like a small viper, often sticking out its tongue. It is covered with patterns that resemble a young viper. Of course, these are appearances, because the slow worm does not reach large sizes. Usually it is several dozen centimeters, so far, an individual that would be more than half a meter long has not been seen yet.

And here's a surprise, because the slow worm is a legless lizard. It twists like a snake, behaves similarly, but is a lizard. As this species is not poisonous, I decided to grab it with my hands for a moment to look at it more closely.

Of course, I did not hurt him and set him free. This species is under strict protection, but it easily falls prey to birds, exposing its body to a clearing to warm up in the rays of the sun.

The lizard is most active at night and at dusk, and it feeds mainly on small snails, larvae, and earthworms, and is very timid. Its activity ends with the onset of autumn, when the first frosts appear, then it hibernates.