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Lizards in Denmark

Niels Lisborg
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Lizards in Denmark
There are only two species of lizards in Denmark. Here a female sand lizard.

In Denmark you will only find two species of lizards. The common lizard and the sand lizard.

The common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) is, as the name implies, Denmark’s most common lizard. The little reptile can often be seen sunning itself on dry spots, logs or rocks. The common lizard occupy a wide range of habitats like marshes, heath, moors, bogs and woodland. In Danish the common lizards is also named woodland lizard.
The common lizard lives farther north than any other species of non-marine reptile, and are viviparous (giving birth to live young), rather than laying eggs as the sand lizard.

Common lizard.

Common lizards are usually between 10cm and 16cm (4 inches and 6 inches) long.

The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) is larger than the common lizard, and somewhat stockier. Up to about 20 cm. It is mostly found in coastal sand dunes, rough grazing areas or open hilly areas in sandy places.
Males develop vivid green flanks in the breeding season (April to May). The sand lizard is regarded as threatened in Denmark and is protected by law.

Sand lizard.

Able to lose the tail – to escape a predator.
If caught by the tail, lizards have the ability to shed the lower tail, leaving a predator with a twitching stump while the lizard escape. The lizard is able to grow a new tail.

If caught by the tail, lizards have the ability to shed the lower tail in order to escape a predator. Here a common lizard.

Hibernation.
Due to the winter climate in Denmark the lizards begin hibernation in October. Hibernation normally ends in March.

Sources: Visitnature.com, wikipedia, arkive.org, Naturguide.dk.

The Slow-worm – the legless lizard

Niels Lisborg
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The Slow-worm – the legless lizard
Slow worms look like snakes, but are actually harmless, legless lizards. Credit: NaturGrafik.dk

Slow-worm (Anguis fragilis)

The slow-worm is widely distributed in Denmark.
Being a legless lizard, the slow worm is often mistaken for a little snake. However, there are certain features that separate the slow-worm from snakes, including the presence of eyelids and ear openings. The slow worm, also called blindworm, is in Danish called “stålorm”, meaning steel worm.

Adults slow worms reach 40 to 45 cm (16 to 18 inches) in body length.
The diet of the slowworm is made up of snails, slugs, earthworms, other soft-bodied invertebrates, and some vertebrates.
The slow-worm is a completely harmless creature and will not bite – even when handed!

Slow worm
Slowworms are completely harmless.

Able to lose the tail.
A feature of slowworms (typical feature of lizards) is the shedding of the tail when captured. The shed tail falling to the ground and thrashing makes a very effective decoy to predators, whilst the slow-worm makes for cover.

Sources: Arkive.org, inaturalist.org, NaturGuide.dk, herpetofauna.co.uk.

The common brown frog

Marianne Riis
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The common brown frog
The most common frog in Denmark
Rana temporaria – the most common frog in Denmark.

The European brown frog is the most common frog in Denmark.

The common frog (Rana temporaria) is undoubtedly Denmarks’s most well-known amphibian, also known as the European brown frog. It is the most common of the 3 species of brown frogs in Denmark.
The species is found throughout much of Europe and is the most common frog in Denmark.
They are typically brown in colour, but some individuals may have green, yellow or even reddish variation of colours.

common frog
Common frog on a finger.

Outside the breeding season (March-April), common frogs live a solitary life in damp places near ponds or marshes or in long grass. They are normally active for much of the year, only hibernating in the coldest months.

Sources: Wikipedia, arkive.org, NaturGuide.dk.

Denmark to build wall to keep out wild boar

VisitNature
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Denmark to build wall to keep out wild boar
The Danish Agriculture sector and the Danish Minister for Food and Environment Esben Lunde Larsen want to terminate all wild living wild boars in Denmark – and put up a fence at the German border to prevent new pigs to immigrate. Credit: Dave Pape , Wikipedia.

Denmark is echoing Donald Trump and has said it will build a 70 km (43.5 mile) fence on its border with Germany to keep out wild boars that may be carrying African swine fever, which is a deadly infection for pigs. The Danish Society for Nature Conservation criticize the Danish government for the decision.

Although no cases of African swine fever have yet been detected in Denmark, there are concerns the fever could pose a risk to the country’s large pork industry. The wild boars have returned to Denmark in the recent years despite a “shoot on sight” ordinance from the Danish Government.

Harmless to humans
African swine fever is harmless to humans and other animals but for wild boar and farm pigs, the disease is deadly in almost all cases within 10 days.

Minister for Food and the Environment Esben Lunde Larsen, closely related to Danish agriculture, said that the Danish pig industry did not want to take any risks. “If African swine fever virus broke out in Denmark, all exports to third countries would immediately stop”.
Denmark’s pig exports outside the EU amount to 11 billion Danish krone ($ 1.8 bn) per year. An outbreak of the disease in Denmark would shut down the entire industry. The disease currently exists in some countries in Eastern Europe.
The Danish Society for Nature Conservation welcomes the wild boar because it is a natural inhabitant that used to live in the Danish woods. The wild boar is known to benefit the biodiversity of the forests providing a more varied forest floor and a richer botanical foundation.

German Environment Minister: “the fence is completely out of proportion.”
A wildlife fence will cut off natural areas and the patterns of the animals in the protected nature areas on both sides of the border. Such is the criticism of Schleswig-Holstein Environment Minister i Germany Robert Habeck, who according to Flensburg newspaper believes that the fence is completely out of proportion.

Several German and Danish veterinarians also criticize the fence, as African swine fever is predominantly spread by humans and not wild boars.

Sources: Flensborg Newspaper/fla.de, pig-world.co.uk, jp.dk.

The great egrets have gone north and are now a new breeding species in Denmark.

Niels Lisborg
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The great egrets have gone north and are now a new breeding species in Denmark.


The great white heron – a newcomer in Danish nature.

The great egret (Ardea alba), also known as the great white heron, is a large, world wide distributed egret, with four subspecies found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and southern Europe.
The great egret is distributed across most of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world. The species breeds in colonies in trees close to large lakes with reed beds or other extensive wetlands.

Great egret.

First Danish colony of great egret.
Not so long ago the great egret was a rare sight in Denmark. However, in the recent few years the egrets have moved north. Climate change in the form of warmer weather is probably a part of the explanation. In 2017 a small colony of four pairs of herons establishing themselves in Vejlerne Nature Reserve in Northern Jutland. The first Danish colony of breeding great egrets ever.
In the years to come it is expected that the white heron will expand further and become a more common sight in the Danish nature.

Not to be found elsewhere in the world

Marianne Riis
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Not to be found elsewhere in the world
The Jammer Bay (DA: Jammerbugten) also known as Mourning Bay probably because of many lost ships and shipwrecks in the past. Here grows a little and beautiful eyebright-flower. It is not to be found anywhere else in the world.

Small, beautiful – and endemic!

The coastal landscape and hinterland around Jammer Bay (Jammerbugten) in the northwestern part of Jutland contains an exciting and versatile wildlife, which in recent years has offered everything from red deers, otters, beavers and wandering wolves. The landscape houses several ornithological sights with Bulbjerg as Jutland’s only bird cliff – and Vejlerne Nature Reserve, where you will find several species of rare birds.
Botanically, the area is something very special and counts many rare plants. Some so rare that they are not found anywhere else in the country. For example this applies to a species of orchid (D. majalis subsp. calcifugiens).

The little and beautiful eyebright-flower.

The coastline between the cliff of Bulbjerg and the small fishing village of Thorupstrand is home to a little, beautiful eyebright-flower (Euphrasia dunensis), not noticed by many. This eyebright species is endemic, which means it only grows here! You will not find it anywhere else in the world!

Any dangerous spiders in Denmark?

Niels Lisborg
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Any dangerous spiders in Denmark?
The very common – and harmless, nursery web spider, Pisaura mirabilis. Credit: Niels Lisborg.

More than 540 species of spiders have been recorded in Denmark. Fortunately, all of them are harmless to humans. However, some can bite you quite noticeably!

Actually there are quite a few Danish spiders which are able to bite you noticeably, according to the Danish Nature Magazine. However, all of them are considered harmless to humans. In the worst cases the bite can feel like a sting from a bee. Furthermore, you almost must squeeze the spider to make it bite you!
So don’t worry. 99.9% of the Danes have never been bitten by a spider – and, for the most part, do not even know that some spiders are able to bite.

According to an old Danish saying you must not kill a house spider. It will bring you luck!

Raft spider
The raft spider, Dolomedes fimbriatus, can and will bite if mis-handled. The bite can be painful like a sting from a wasp but it is not dangerous. Credit: Niels Lisborg.

Spiders are an important factor in our ecosystem. Did you know that spiders worldwide eat an estimated 400 to 800 million metric tons of insects every year.
For comparison, the entire human population consumes about 400 million tons of meat and fish every year.

Orb-weaver Spider (Nuctenea umbratica)
The orb-weaver spider (Nuctenea umbratica) is also known to be able to bite humans. Like all other Danish spiders it is not dangerous to humans. Credit: Niels Lisborg.

More species in the future…
More and more spiders species native to southern Europe are making their way north to Denmark because of warmer temperatures. Many Danish biologists believe that climate change will bring new species of spiders north to Denmark in the future.

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Return of the Eagle-owl

Niels Lisborg
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Return of the Eagle-owl
Eagle-owl
The giant eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) has returned to Denmark. Credit: © Ondřej Prosický | Dreamstime.com.

In 1884 the last Danish Eagle-owl was shot in central Jutland. Not until 100 years later the giant owls carefully returned.

A single pair started breeding in 1984 in the most southern part of Denmark, close to the German border. Since then the eagle owls have taken back their lost land and have practically invaded the peninsula of Jutland.

Eagle Owls have benefited from large-scale reintroduction or reinforcement programmes in Europe. In Germany during the 1970s and 1980s, 1,500 birds were released and the species is now a widespread breeder in Schleswig-Holstein – just south of the Danish border.
In the laters years the giant owls have migrated into Denmark. It is estimated that about 120 pairs now are breeding in Jutland, Denmark. The Eagle-owls seem to do well in most types of habitat if there are available nesting spots and adequate prey.

The Eurasian Eagle-owl can reach a wingspan of 1.8 meter (6 feet). Credit: © Ondřej Prosický | Dreamstime.com.

A powerful hunter.

The Eurasian Eagle-owl (Bubo bubo) is the largest owl in Europe – and probably in the world. They can reach a wingspan of 1.8 meter (6 feet).

Their large, powerful feet and strong flight makes them powerful hunters. Like many raptors, these owls are top predators. They are strong enough to kill a cat or a young fox.

Eurasian Eagle-owls usually hunt at night from a perch or while flying low over the ground or treetops. They are silent hunters that use their keen eyesight and hearing to locate and capture prey. These owls are not picky eaters. They mainly eat small mammals such as rats but also hunt other birds, including other raptors. They also prey on amphibians, reptiles, fish, and insects.

Source: dof.dk, peregrinefund.org, britishbirds.co.uk, Wikipedia.

Record number of eagles are breeding in Denmark

Niels Lisborg
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Record number of eagles are breeding in Denmark
The white-tailed eagle is North Europe’s largest bird of prey. Credit: Andrew Astbury/Dreamstime.com

After being nearly non-existent for about a century, the White-tailed Eagle and the Golden Eagle have successfully returned back to Denmark.

When the Danish Ornithological Society conducted its annual eagle count in 2017 more than 400 eagles were spotted across the country.
A total of 395 white-tailed Eagles and 14 golden eagles were observed during the official count.

The white-tailed eagle population was nearly non-existent in Denmark for up to a century before making a comeback in 1996.

The white-tailed eagle is North Europe’s largest bird of prey. With its impressive wingspan of up to 2.5 m, and the very square flight silhouette, it rather resembles a flying door. Adult sea eagles can also be recognised by the white tail, the bright head and yellow beak.

Eagle experts predict that by 2020 there will be at least 100 pairs of breeding white-tailed eagles in Denmark. The about 8.000 kilometer long coastline and many fjords and lakes, is a perfect landscape for the white-tailed eagles.

Denmark set wind power record – again!

Marianne Riis
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Denmark set wind power record – again!

2017 was a record year for Danish wind power and Denmark is on track to surpassing its EU energy targets, according to the Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate.

More than 43 percent of Denmark’s electricity consumption was supplied by land and sea wind turbines in 2017. This is the highest-ever level of wind energy provision in Denmark.

The past nine out of ten years have been record-setting for Danish wind power. The new record surpasses the previous 2015 record of 42 percent.

The wind energy share of Denmark’s electric energy system since 2005. Graphic: Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate.

“With the wind power production record, Denmark places a green flag on the world map. We once again show the whole world that Denmark has the world’s best energy system,” Minister of Energy, Utilities and Climate Lars Christian Lilleholt said in the press statement.

Further records are likely to be set by Denmark in coming years, with new offshore wind farms in the offing.

The Danish government is working for Denmark to have at least 50 per cent of its energy needs covered by renewable energy, such as wind and solar power, by 2030.

Sources: thelocal.dk, Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate.

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