Reptiles
Lizard, glass lizard, or snake?
The glass lizard is a legless lizard. The slow worm is a smaller legless lizard. Water snakes are snakes. None of these three is venomous.
Compare
Three animals people mix up
The glass lizard profile states movable eyelids, external ear openings, and a side fold — snakes do not have eyelids. Length is about 1–1.35 m; it is harmless.
The slow worm (Anguis colchica) is a candidate species in the checklist; on its profile it is smaller (often 30–50 cm) and smoother. Water snakes are snakes. Marks and sizes come only from these profiles.
Marks
How they differ
An em dash means this page’s sources do not state that mark for that species — not that it lacks the trait.
| Trait | European glass lizard | Colchis Slow Worm | Grass snake |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Lizard (Anguidae) | Lizard (Anguidae); candidate in the checklist | Snake |
| Eyelids | Has movable eyelids | Lizard head scales and eyelids | Snakes do not have eyelids |
| Ear opening | External ear openings visible | — | — |
| Side fold | A clear lateral groove | Smoother than the glass lizard | — |
| Length (profile stat) | About 1–1.35 m | Often 30–50 cm | See profile |
| Venom | None — harmless | None | None (water snakes are harmless) |
Another water snake
The dice snake is a snake too
Natrix tessellata is the same genus as the grass snake — a snake, not a lizard. It often appears with the glass lizard in lookalike lists.
Dice snakeRelated guides
Continue with related pages
Identification, range, safety, and species indexes — stay in the same topic instead of returning to the homepage.
FAQ
What people ask about this comparison
Only marks confirmed on the profiles.
A lizard. Unlike a snake it has movable eyelids, external ear openings, and a side fold.
The slow worm is smaller (often 30–50 cm) and smoother. The glass lizard is about 1–1.35 m and has a clear side fold. Both are harmless. The slow worm is a checklist candidate.
No. The profile classifies it as harmless.
Grass snakes and dice snakes are snakes often mixed up with legless lizards. They are harmless, but they are snakes.
Next step
From comparison to a profile
Open the glass lizard, slow worm, or a water snake. The full lizard list is in the index.