Common slow worm: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the common slow worm lives – recorded in 14 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Anguis fragilis
Group	Lizards, geckos & tuatara
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	14 countries
Continents	Europe
Diet (main food)	larva, worm
Class	Reptile
Order	Squamata
Family	Anguidae

Where does the common slow worm live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the common slow worm in 14 countries and territories across Europe.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What does a common slow worm eat?

Wikidata lists the main food source of the common slow worm as: larva, worm.

Is the common slow worm endangered?

The common slow worm’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the common slow worm?

The common slow worm (Anguis fragilis) is a reptile in the order Squamata and the family Anguidae, genus Anguis. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the common slow worm

The common slow worm (Anguis fragilis) is a non-venomous species of legless lizard native to Europe. It is also called a deaf adder, blindworm, or regionally, a long-cripple, steelworm, and hazelworm.

Despite its name, the common slow worm is neither a worm nor a snake.

Common slow worms are semifossorial (burrowing) lizards that spend much of their time hiding underneath objects. The skin of slow worms is smooth, with scales that do not overlap.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Common slow worm (revision 1378651082), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q183660 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).