Common slow worm

The common slow-worm (Anguis fragilis) is a species of <a href="/facts/Legless_lizard/a4gT4A7v">legless lizard</a> native to western <a href="/facts/Eurasia/KlLI9GDM">Eurasia</a>. 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 <a href="/facts/Blindsnake/SdTmb7PW">blindsnake</a> (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 <a href="/facts/Species_complex/u6qEMdRQ">species complex</a> comprising the genus <a href="/facts/Anguis/cRHTXVPY">Anguis</a> are also called "slow-worms".
Common slow worms are <a href="/facts/Fossorial/98TbrC3h">semifossorial</a> (burrowing) <a href="/facts/Lizard/VPCpCwjT">lizards</a>, spending much of their time hiding underneath objects. The skin of slow worms is smooth with scales that do not overlap one another. Like many other lizards, they <a href="/facts/Autotomy/4PBAwg9u">autotomize</a>, 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, they are common in gardens and <a href="/facts/Allotment_(gardening)/VNEuBPF4">allotments</a>, and can be encouraged to enter and help remove pest insects by placing black plastic or providing places to shelter such as piles of logs, corrugated iron sheets or under tiles. On warm days, one or more slow worms can often be found underneath these heat collectors. 
The name "slowworm" is only <a href="/facts/Folk_etymology/vgVL6xdX">contaminated by</a> 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". It is related to the Norwegian slo or Swedish ormslå, of same meaning.

Common slow worm open-in-new

Common slow worm