Snake Lizard

Scientific Classification

• Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Chordata
• Class Reptilia
• Order Squamata
• Infraorder Gekkota
• Superfamily Pygopodoidea
• Family Pygopodidae

Snake lizards, also called flap-footed lizards, are a group of legless lizards belonging to the family Pygopodidae. They have a snake-like appearance with exceptionally slender, elongated bodies, lacking forelimbs.

Scientific Classification

• Kingdom Animalia
• Phylum Chordata
• Class Reptilia
• Order Squamata
• Infraorder Gekkota
• Superfamily Pygopodoidea
• Family Pygopodidae

Native to Australia and New Guinea, these animals either live on the ground or burrow under the soil. Since they resemble snakes, people often kill them by mistake, even though they are non-venomous.

Currently, there are 47 known species of these lizards.

Description

They have slender bodies and lack forelimbs, so they can easily slip into crevices. Though present, their hindlimbs are vestigial and modified into tiny, flattened flaps that are believed to play a role in defense and reproduction.

Unlike snakes, which have internal ears, most snake lizards possess external ears, which help in aerial sound perception. They also possess broad, fleshy, unforked tongues, in contrast to the forked tongues of snakes.

Their lidless eyes are covered by a scale-like sheath called a spectacle, which they lick and clean.

Taxonomy

They are classified under 2 subfamilies and 7 genera.

• Subfamily: Lialisinae
  • Tribe: Lialisini
    • Genus: Lialis (two species: Burton’s legless lizard and Papua snake lizard)
• Subfamily: Pygopodinae
  • Genus: Delma (22 species, including Marble-faced delma, collared delma, sharp-snouted delma, and others)
  • Genus: Paradelma (monotypic: Queensland snake-lizard)
  • Genus: Pygopus (5 species, including Common scaly-foot, Robert’s scaly-foot, and others)
  • Tribe: Aprasiaini
    • Subtribe: Aprasiaina
      • Genus: Ophidiocephalus (monotypic: Bronzeback snake-lizard)
      • Genus: Aprasia (14 species, including Mallee worm lizard, pink-tailed worm lizard, and others)
    • Subtribe: Pletholaxina
      • Genus: Pletholax (2 species: Slender slider, Edel land slider)

Habitat

Most snake lizards are ground-dwellers, though many take shelter in shrubs. Members of the genera Aprasia and Ophiodiocephalus are subterranean and live underground. Others, like Burton’s snake lizard (Lialis burtonis), live in leaf litter and surface debris.

Diet

Although they primarily feed on insects and spiders, some species, like Burton’s snake lizards, also prey on other lizards.

Behavior

• These lizards, unlike snakes, can vocalize using specific sounds, like harsh squeaks, especially if threatened by a predator.
• They exhibit communal nesting, with some nests having as many as 30 eggs. These eggs have a weakly mineralized shell (parchment-shelled) and are laid in clutch sizes of two.

Interesting Facts

They have the ability to hear sounds at exceptionally high frequencies, a trait unique among reptiles. Some species, such as Delma pax, can detect sounds as low as 60 dB at frequencies as high as 11,100 Hz, with peak sensitivity occurring around 5,000 Hz.