PELOPONNESE SLOW WORM
The slow worm is neither a worm nor a snake, but is in fact, a legless lizard. Its identity is given away by its ability to shed its tail (autotomy - see the Balkan green for details), and blink with its eyelids.
The Peloponnese slow worm, which resides on Kefalonia, is a wonderful bronze colour with dark flanks. Females can be identified by having a dark dorsal stripe down their backs and darker flanks than the males.
Although the slow worm is diurnal (around during the day), it is secretive and rarely basks in the sun. It will usually be found by turning things over, under stones, wood and rubbish. They do like a good compost heap.
They feed on slugs, worms, insects and spiders as well as juvenile lizards. Mating takes place between March and July, with the male biting the female during copulation. Mating can last 10 hours, and the males bites often leave scars. The female gives birth to 3-26 live juveniles in late Summer.
