The sand lizard is distributed across most of Europe from the southern coast of Britain and across the continent to Lake Baikal in Russia.

[4] In the northern extremes of the sand lizard's distribution, it survives by inhabiting seaside heathlands, where the ground temperature is elevated by the sun.

In northwest Europe, both sexes are characterised by lateral and dorsal strips of ocellated (eye-shaped) markings, which appear as dark patches with pale centres.

Males have finer markings than females, and their flanks turn bright green during the spring mating season, fading again in the late summer.

In the two main western subspecies (L. a. agilis and L. a. argus), the dorsal stripe is thin and interrupted, or not present at all.

In males, the bright green genital coloration has been shown to be brighter depending on body mass and fighting ability.

Males with brighter colors were more likely to initiate aggressive behaviors and win fights, which generally leads to them having a higher mating success.

They prefer dry habitats such as outcrops, fields, hills, beaches, heathland, sand dunes, and rock gardens.

Under poor weather conditions, sand lizards emerge from resting locations later and bask less often throughout the day.

This is most likely due to its absorption and slow release of heat radiation as well as providing a vantage point to spot potential predators and prey.

This may be because female sand lizards that are larger are simply able to produce more clutches with the increased space in their bodies.

[16] Natural malformed offspring have been observed in sand lizards most likely due to close kin inbreeding defects.

Inbreeding has been seen to cause malformations in sand lizards with studies in laboratory settings mirroring the deformations seen naturally in the wild.

Sand lizard locomotor performance, agility, and speed is related to their ability to avoid predators (as well as foraging efficiency).

Males with larger home territory ranges were also subject to carrying even greater loads of parasites.

[20] Male sand lizards are polygynous and compete with each other for female mates through incredibly aggressive manners.

Sand lizard copulation is a process that lasts 2–4 minutes and after it is completed, the males will guard the individual female for hours or up to several days to protect them.

[7] When male sand lizards compete over females, they perform ritualistic displays that often escalate into aggressive behaviors and actual combat.

Males raise themselves up on all four limbs and turn over to intimidate their opponents, one may back down at this stage but if not, the two can begin fighting actual combat.

This is most likely because they are able to individually recognize others and the result of the fight between two rivals will most likely be similar to the first, so they are able to predict the outcome and end their battle early.

Because female sand lizards are often found close together in groups, males have more choices and opportunities to choose a mate depending on their individual characteristics.

[22] Efforts in the UK have been made to protect and conserve their habitats because the sand lizard is one of only six reptile species found in Britain.

This is thought to have led to an increase in inbreeding and low genetic diversity; as of 2017, the Swedish sand lizard populations decreasing by around 20-40% in the previous approximately 20 years.