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Apart from the Politicians, there are no snakes in Ireland!
Following the last Ice Age, Ireland split off from the European land mass before Great Britain did. The snakes that recolonised Britain didn't arrive until it was too late Ireland is home to two species of land dwelling reptile, the viviparous lizard and the slow worm. The viviparous lizard, or common lizard, is a native Irish reptile The common lizard, which is often confused with newts in sightings. A key identifier is the more 'snake like' head. It is more prevelant around the costal areas, but sightings have occured all over Ireland The slow worm looks like a snake bit is actually a legless reptile it can be found in the Burren area of Clare basking on the karst surface One theory is that the slow worm was introduced by new age travellers who kept them as pets with a few escaping to establish small populations in the wild During the Celtic Tiger economic bubble, snakes were popular pets and after the crash, the cost of upkeep lead some to being released to the wild |
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