Snake lizards belong to the genus Ophisaurus and are also known as legless lizards, or glass lizards. They are not actually snakes at all, although they are often mistaken for them at first glance, because they have no legs and slither to move. However, there are many differences between snakes and legless lizards.
Distinguishing Characteristics of Snake Lizards
One of the most easily observable differences between a snake lizard and a snake is that snake lizards have movable eyelids. They also have tympani, or ear openings, that snakes lack. Another distinction is that the snout of a legless lizard is more wedge-shaped than that of a snake.
Less readily apparent, but still an important distinguishing characteristic between legless lizards and snakes is that snakes can unhinge their jaws, swallowing fairly large prey. Legless lizards’ jaws are fixed. This means that they typically eat smaller prey than a snake can eat.
Their movement also distinguishes the two reptiles. Snakes use belly scales and belly muscles in addition to side muscles to propel themselves. Snake lizards, on the other hand, can only use the muscles in their sides to move themselves. They must push off of something to move and are fairly helpless on a flat surface, such as a road.
Additionally, Snake lizard bodies are much more rigid than snake bodies are. This is partially because snake lizards’ tails are proportionately longer relative to their bodies than snakes' are, comprising about two thirds of their overall length. Snake Lizards also have bony plates that make the tail feel stiff.
Why Snake Lizards are Often Called Glass Lizards
Like some other lizards, when a snake lizard is threatened or scared, it can break off its own tail. This is an important defensive mechanism because oftentimes the snake lizard’s attacker will be attracted to the still moving tail, and the snake lizard can then get to safety.
Unlike other lizards, however, as the tail breaks off, it can then break into many smaller pieces like shattered glass. This fascinating characteristic is what has earned the snake lizard the moniker of glass lizard. The tail can grow back once, but if a snake lizard loses its tail again, it will not grow it back a second time.
Snake Lizard Habitats and Natural Traits
Snake lizards live in numerous parts of the world in a range of climate conditions. The only continent they are not found on is Antarctica. They can live in deserts, savannahs, and forests, and their diet consists mainly of mice, bird eggs, insects, and spiders. They can also eat other smaller lizards and snakes.
Some of the various lizard species belonging to the genus Ophisaurus that can be found throughout the world include O. Apodus, or the Sheltopusik, found in the Balkan Peninsula through Turkey, O. ventralis, otherwise known as the Eastern Glass Lizard, which can be found throughout the Southeastern United States in damp forests and meadows, the slender glass lizard or O. attenatus, found in the central and southern United States, and O. koellikeri or Keolliker’s Glass Lizard which is found in Northwestern Africa.
Snake lizards typically live on the ground and like to burrow under natural litter and for hibernation. They can blend in well with their surrounding with colors varying from bronzes to yellows, reds, browns, tans, grays, and whites. They are oviparous, which means that they lay eggs to reproduce, and their size varies, with smaller ones being 10 inches full grown and larger specimens reaching 50 inches.
Unique Traits of Snake Lizards to Keep in Mind
When observing reptiles in the wild, remember the characteristics that set snake lizards apart from typical snakes. If it resembles a snake but it blinks, or ear openings are present, then it is a snake lizard. Similarly, if it has a wedge-shaped snout, it is a snake lizard. If a snake-like, legless creature is observed to shed its tail when it is threatened, and this tail shatters into pieces like glass breaking, then it is definitely a snake lizard.
Sources:
"Burton's Snake Lizard", accessed June 15, 2010.
"Glass Lizard - Glass Snake - Legless Lizard", by Melissa Kaplan, accessed June 15, 2010.
Arkive.org, accessed June 15, 2010.
" Ophisaurus attenuatus attenuatus ", University of Texas website accessed June 15, 2010.
"Ophisaurus attenuatus", by Jessica Fawley, University of Michigan website accessed June 15, 2010.
"What's the Difference Between a Snake and a Legless Lizard", by Julia Layton, accessed June 15, 2010.
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