#amphisbaenia

[have-you-seen-this-animal]

ooh how about rhineura floridana? the florida worm lizard :3

Have you seen the Florida worm lizard (Rhineura floridana)?

I have now

Yes, in photos/videos

Yes, irl

I'm not sure

Voting ended onApr 1

This is the only living member of its family.

[herpsandbirds]

Vanzolini's Worm Lizard (Amphisbaena vanzolinii), family Amphisbaenidae, Guyana

Legless lizard.

photograph by Elven Remérand

[mindblowingscience]

Fossil discovery reveals giant worm lizard with snail-cracking jaws

An international team of researchers has discovered a new fossil worm lizard species in Tunisia. Terastiodontosaurus marcelosanchezi is the

An international team of researchers has discovered a new fossil worm lizard species in Tunisia. Terastiodontosaurus marcelosanchezi is the largest known species of the Amphisbaenia group, with a skull length of over five centimeters. The work is published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. Unlike today's predominantly subterranean worm lizards, this species may also have been a surface dweller. The fossil shows extreme dental features, including strong jaws and a specialized tooth enamel, which indicate that it fed on snails—a diet that has persisted for over 56 million years.

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[oarfjsh]

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[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

If you see a worm crawling along on the ground, take a closer look; it might actually be a worm lizard! Due to their pink or purple coloring, reduced or absent limbs, and rudimentary eyes, members of the group Amphisbaenia bear a striking resemblance to earth worms. However, their closest relatives are actually the wall lizards in the family Lacertidae.

(Image: A mexican worm lizard (Bipes biporus) by Adam G. Clause)

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[alphynix]

Slavoia darevskii was a lizard that lived in what is now Mongolia and Kazakhstan during the Late Cretaceous, about 85-70 million years ago.

Around 12cm long ~(4.75"), it had a compact skull, small eyes, a short neck, shovel-like hands, an elongated body and slightly reduced hind limbs – all features that indicate it was a burrowing animal, digging tunnels and feeding on underground invertebrates.

Its exact relationships are uncertain, but recent studies have suggested it was an early amphisbaenian, representing a point in the group's evolution before the full loss of their legs and the development of their extremely long worm-like shape.

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[animalids]

Mexican mole lizard (Bipes biporus)

Photo by Michael Cravens

[tenacioustomfoolery]

Amphisbaenia Flag

Anyone who appreciates amphisbaenia may use.