Common slow worm

Common slow worm
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Family:	Anguidae
Genus:	Anguis
Species:	A. fragilis
Binomial name
Anguis fragilis Linnaeus, 1758
Range of A. fragilis

The common slow-worm (Anguis fragilis) is a species of legless lizard native to western Eurasia. It is also called a deaf adder, blindworm, or regionally, a long-cripple, steelworm, and hazelworm. The "blind" in blind-worm refers to the lizard's small eyes, similar to a blindsnake (although the slow-worm's eyes are functional). The common slow worm, i.e. the species Anguis fragilis, is often called simply "slow-worm", though all species of the species complex comprising the genus Anguis are also called "slow-worms".

Common slow worms are semifossorial^[2] (burrowing) lizards that spend much of their time hiding underneath objects. The skin of slow worms is smooth, with scales that do not overlap. Like many other lizards, they autotomize, meaning that they have the ability to shed their tails to escape predators. While the tail regrows, it does not reach its original length. In the UK, slow worms are commonly encountered in gardens and allotments, where they can be encouraged to enter and assist in the removal of pest insects by placing black plastic or providing places to shelter such as piles of logs, corrugated iron sheets or under tiles.^[3] On warm days, one or more slow worms can often be found underneath these heat collectors.

The name "slowworm" is only contaminated by the word "slow". In Middle English, it was written "slowurm", from Old English "slāwyrm", where slā- means 'earthworm' or 'slowworm' and wyrm means "serpent, reptile".^[4][5] It is related to the Norwegian slo or Swedish ormslå, of same meaning.