Amphibian and Reptile
Groups of the UK
Photo © Angela Julian
ARG UK promotes the conservation of our native amphibians and reptiles and their environment by promoting and supporting the development of a network of independent Amphibian and Reptile Groups (ARGs).
You can help our native amphibians and reptiles by getting involved with one of the 60+ independent volunteer ARGs in the UK.
Affiliated groups benefit from our insurance scheme, local groups websites, advice notes and fundraising support.
We provide online recording through the Record Pool to help capture herpetofauna data from across the UK.
We produce fun downloads for kids and their parents and teachers, and other useful resources.
Basking spots
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Look out for toad fly this summer
With apologies for the distressing image! As the summer progresses, we are getting reports of common toads, affected by a parasitic blow fly or ‘toad fly’. Although there are over 1,000 species of blowfly worldwide, and a number of other species of Luciliahave been associated…
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2024 ARG UK AGM - Presentations and Workshops
Welcome to our ARG UK 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM), an online event held on Tuesday 16th July starting at 7:30 pm. As always, all of our affiliated ARGS and their members were very welcome. The event ran in three parts starting with an update on…
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Have you seen a grass snake in Scotland?
Please fill in our simple online recording form and help us to learn more about the distribution of Scotland’s largest terrestrial reptile. Until 2010, it was generally believed that wild grass snakes (Natrix helvetica) do not occur in Scotland. However, three confirmed records were made in Dumfries…
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Toads on Roads - Top Tips for Toad Patrolling for ARGs
Toadsare normally solitary creatures, but during the spring period, from early February through to early April (depending on weather variables), they will join with hundreds of other toads to migrate to their ancestral breeding ponds, crossing anything in their path. Sometimes this involves crossing busy…Read more: Toads on Roads - Top Tips for Toad Patrolling for ARGs
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Make the Adder Count in 2024
Welcome to Make the Adder Count 2024. Started in 2005, this long-running survey aims to encourage springtime counts of adders, with the objectives of informing local conservation projects/interests and gathering a long-term surveillance dataset. Thank you to all the volunteers who have returned their data from…
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The Cannock Chase National Landscape Adder Conservation Programme
Funded through DEFRA’s Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme
An exciting new partnership project led by Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK and Cannock Chase National Landscape with the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and volunteers from Shropshire and Staffordshire ARG, Birmingham and Black Country ARG and Warwickshire Amphibian and…Read more: The Cannock Chase National Landscape Adder Conservation Programme
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Great Crested Newt Habitat Suitability Index (HSI)
The largest of our three native species of newt, growing up to 15 cm in length, great crested newts. Triturus cristatus are easily distinguishable from our smaller newts: the smooth newt Lissotriton vulgaris and the palmate newt L. helveticus as, in addition to their larger size, they are dark…Read more: Great Crested Newt Habitat Suitability Index (HSI)
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Dragons in the Hills - Outreach and Educational Resource Packs
As a part of the Dragons in the Hills project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, we have developed a set of outreach resource packs for primary aged-children that can be used for classroom or other outreach sessions with this age group. Each pack has…Read more: Dragons in the Hills - Outreach and Educational Resource Packs
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A new report of leech predation on amphibians
What is it?
Whilst most of the leeches you will encounter in the UK are a natural part of your ponds' ecosystem and doing no harm to other wildlife, since 2020 we've been receiving unusual reports of leech predation on amphibians from a small number…
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Dragons in the Hills - news from Northern Ireland in 2022
Supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Dragons in the Hills is a new project based in Northern Ireland which aims to conserve some of our priority wildlife species through community action. This is a partnership project with Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC),…Read more: Dragons in the Hills - news from Northern Ireland in 2022
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Resources for ARGs - volunteer, risk, safeguarding and lone working agreements
This page is intended to be a one-stop shop for ARG volunteer documents including the volunteer working agreement, risk and safeguarding assessments and advice on lone working. For those wishing to volunteer with ARG UK or any ARG we ask that you fil in…Read more: Resources for ARGs - volunteer, risk, safeguarding and lone working agreements
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A new project 'Status of the adder Vipera berus in Scotland' - please get involved!
An opportunity to repeat a survey commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage, and originally published in 1994 (see references). This was presented at an afternoon workshop at the Scottish ARGs Meeting on 30.10.2021- you can download the recording hereBackground
- The report 'Status of the…
Read more: A new project 'Status of the adder Vipera berus in Scotland' - please get involved!
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ARG UK 100% Fund
The ARGUK 100% Fund supports practical conservation work by the ARGs. ARG volunteers are often best placed to target funding effectively for amphibian and reptile conservation, and sometimes small amounts of money can make a big difference, but nevertheless can be hard to find. The sort…
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How to ARGWEB - video tutorials that cover frequently asked questions
ARGWEB is a new online toolkit tailor-made for our affiliated volunteer Amphibian and Reptile Groups (ARGS), providing a set of online tools (apps) to help our affiliated groups manage their membership and other stakeholders, including land managers and project partners, in a GDPR compliant manner.…Read more: How to ARGWEB - video tutorials that cover frequently asked questions
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ARG UK Policy Statement Concerning Reintroductions
Continuing declines of reptile and amphibian species native to the UK need to be addressed. These declines include species loss from parts of their natural range, and national extinction. Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK (ARG UK) supports the network of local volunteer Amphibian…Read more: ARG UK Policy Statement Concerning Reintroductions
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Introducing ARGWEB - a new online combined membership and survey toolkit for the ARGs
ARGWEB is a new online toolkit tailor-made for our affiliated volunteer Amphibian and Reptile Groups (ARGS). ARGWEB was originally set up by our Surrey group (SARG) to provide a suit of online tools (apps) to manage their membership and other stakeholders including land managers and…Read more: Introducing ARGWEB - a new online combined membership and survey toolkit for the ARGs
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Advice Note 12: Amphibian and Reptile Reintroductions - Guidelines for Amphibian and Reptile Groups
1. Background
In a climate of wildlife declines, reintroducing species to locations from which they have disappeared has become an increasingly popular suggestion. For species with limited dispersal abilities, such as amphibians and reptiles, actively moving them may be the only way of restoring them…
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Dragons in the Hills - connecting communities with their natural heritage, and conserving amphibians and reptiles in Northern Ireland
Whats in Your Pond? - record your frogs, newts and common lizards here The National Lottery Heritage Fund are supporting a new project based in Northern Ireland which aims to conserve some of our priority wildlife species through community action. This exciting new project has…
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Creating grass snake egg-laying heaps – the ‘RAVON Recipe’
Over the past few years RAVON our herpetological colleagues in the Netherlands, have been developing their conservation programme for the native grass snake (Natrix helvetica). This programme has included specific habitat management for grass snakes, to enhance their breeding success and thereby increase the sustainability of…Read more: Creating grass snake egg-laying heaps – the ‘RAVON Recipe’
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Adders are amazing! Resource Pack - Pecyn Adnoddau Gwiberod Gwych!
Our Adders are Amazing Resource packs are now available to download in English and Cymraeg:
Adders are Amazing! Resource Pack Pecyn Adnoddau Gwiberod Gwych! We can also post out special packs containing all 24 activity sheets in a handy folder - these are available for just…Read more: Adders are amazing! Resource Pack - Pecyn Adnoddau Gwiberod Gwych!
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Kids' stickers and fun fact sheets
ARGUK is delighted to partner with the artist Mabel Harris to create a vibrant new range of stickers, fun fact and colouring sheets for our budding young herpetologists. These are perfect for events and other herp-themed activities. We are delighted to be able to offer a range of…
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Adders are Amazing!
This exciting new project, led by our Pembrokeshire Adder Coordinator, Sam Langdon, is delivering the ‘community engagement’ aspect of a wider programme to prevent this iconic, but vulnerable native snake from slipping into extinction in large parts of England and Wales. The project has taken…
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Bsal - a deadly new newt disease on our doorstep!
Chytridiomycosis (Chytrid) has been responsible for mass mortalities of amphibians with declines and extinctions on six continents, including Europe. Until recently, most pathogenic outbreaks of Chytrid were associated with the fungal pathogen, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). However, since 2013 a newly described species B. salamandrivorans ( =…Read more: Bsal - a deadly new newt disease on our doorstep!
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The Adder Campaign
NEWS - New Publication: Make the Adder Count: population trends from a citizen science survey of UK adders Concern has been growing about the status of UK adder populations, with expert opinion reporting widespread declines. Assessing the true scale of these declines, however, has been hampered by a…
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Revised Advice note 4 - Amphibian Disease Precautions, A Guide for UK Fieldworkers
We are delighted to be able to launch the newly revised version of "Advice note 4 - Amphibian Disease Precautions, A Guide for UK Fieldworkers", which is published in March 2017. This important resource for amphibian fieldworkers and trainers has been comprehensively revised in partnership…Read more: Revised Advice note 4 - Amphibian Disease Precautions, A Guide for UK Fieldworkers
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Snake fungal disease identified in wild British snakes for first time
Europe’s wild snakes could face a growing threat from a fungal skin disease that has contributed to wild snake deaths in North America, according to an international collaborative study, led by conservation charity ZSL (Zoological Society of London) alongside partners including the U.S. Geological…Read more: Snake fungal disease identified in wild British snakes for first time