The complex mosaics of wet and dry grassland, scree and spoil tips, heath and ffridd that characterises so much of the landscape of RCT is superb reptile habitat.

Whilst no systematic survey or assessment work has been undertaken, the data collected from ecological surveys associated with development proposals and casual observations has confirmed that the four reptile species found in RCT are widely distributed. Slow worm is abundant, particularly in overgrown urban edge areas and gardens. The populations of slow worm in RCT are huge. Common lizard is similarly widespread and common. In the uplands it can often be found using stone walls and scuttling through purple moor-grass tussocks in very exposed locations. Grass snakes are also widely found, often associated with wetland sites and adder are also well established using the ffridd, valleyside heaths and also wetlands. While reptiles have declined alarmingly in many parts of the UK, they are common in RCT. Together with our amphibian fauna, our reptiles are a clear indicator of the importance of the wealth and diversity of semi-natural habitat in RCT.