Reptiles

The six different reptile species found in Luxembourg all have their specific habitat. You can often find slow worms under stones, whereas wall lizards often sit on old dry-stone walls, facades and warm surfaces. If you take a closer look at a dry-stone wall, you might catch a glimpse at a smooth snake, although these are very rare in Luxembourg.

As reptiles are xerothermic and need to warm up their bodies to become fast and agile, they like to bathe in the sun. This is the perfect opportunity to observe them. However, the rule here is not to startle or disturb them.

With lizards, there is a clear distinction between males and females. Apart from their size, they are often distinguished by their varying colours. You can find pictures of the different types and more information about the different species in the iNaturalist guide Reptilien zu Lëtzebuerg.

In recent years, many habitat areas suitable to lizards in Luxembourg have disappeared due to the intensification of agriculture, the scrub encroachment of old quarries and open-cast mining areas, land consolidation in vineyards and the gouging of old dry stone walls. Above all, the smooth snake and the sand lizard are now only present in small numbers in Luxembourg. To counteract this, the various actors in nature conservation are opening up fallow land, restoring dry-stone walls, and creating cairns and other structures to provide habitats for snakes and lizards.

Most of the reptile species found in Luxembourg are not doing so well.

Participate!

To find out more about the distribution of these species, it is now possible to enter your observations via the iNaturalist App (iOS oder Android), the iNaturalist.LU website and here via the datenportal of the 'natur musée'. On iNautralist.LU you'll also find the latest sightings of these 6 species in the project Reptilien zu Lëtzebuerg. Using iNaturalist is easy, you can find some tutorials on the YouTube channel of the 'natur musée'.

All data is collected by the 'natur musée' and made available to biologists and people who are active in practical nature conservation. Participate in this campaign by the 'natur musée' and SIAS, in this way you can easily learn about your environment and at the same time provide us with valuable data that we need to provide a more efficient protection of these species. Everyone who participates in the project makes an important contribution. Here you can find our fyler in German or French.