nmg | AKICILJ: Calling all biologists

So, does anyone know if slow worms externally fertilise their eggs? I've inadvertently decapitated the male of the slow worm pair that lives in our garden while giving the front lawn its first cut of the year. The female is alive and well, and by her plumpness seems heavy with eggs. She's been relocated to the back garden (which is where they've nested in previous years), hopefully to lay in peace.

Also, does anyone know how large their territories are? I haven't seen any other slow worms in the immediate area (bar a juvenile that we found when we demolished the second old shed a couple of years back), so I've assuming that the chances of her finding another mate are pretty slim.

Bugger. I could have done without this.