• If buying a pet consider your options carefully.  Don't buy an animal that is likely to outgrow the space you have available or outlive the likely interest of its carer.

• Don't release unwanted pets into the wild.  Such action is illegal, can threaten native wildlife and is often not the best option for the pet.

• Please report sightings of non-native species.  National and international strategies dealing with non-native species rely on, amongst other options, detection and surveillance.

Control of non-native species should be undertaken only after consideration of the risks posed by the species in question and balancing these against the cost effectiveness of any proposed action. 

In the case of the North American bullfrog, the risks posed are judged to be high.  Immediate action should be taken to confirm the species identification and remove any such animals from the wild.  In the case of most other non-native amphibians and reptiles, the risks are not fully understood - but learning about where these animals occur will help with ongoing assessment.  So, in all cases, please report your alien sightings.

Help to identify alien amphibians and reptiles is available from this site.  Just use the menu to the left to select species.

• The Herpetological Conservation Trust's website contains information on native and introduced amphibians and reptiles.

• The National Network of Amphibian and Reptile Groups (ARG UK) is a source of local expertise.

• The Reptiles and Amphibians of the UK (RAUK) website contains excellent identification information covering some alien species.