Some lizards have no legs.
They look like snakes. They have eyes and ears. They also have long tails. These animals move on the ground. It is fun to see them. Can you find a legless lizard?
Some lizards have no legs.
They look like snakes. But they are not snakes.
These lizards have eyes. They also have ears. Snakes do not have ears.
Most of these lizards have long tails. Snakes have short tails.
Some lizards live in the ground. They dig through the dirt.
Other lizards live in many lands. Some live in Africa. Some live in Australia.
It is fun to learn about them.
Some lizards have no legs. They look like snakes. But you can tell them apart.
Lizards have eyelids. Snakes do not. Lizards also have ear openings. Snakes do not have these. A lizard has a long tail. A snake has a short tail. Most lizards have two lungs of the same size. Snakes have one long lung and one short lung.
Many lizard groups lost their legs. This often happens as their bodies get longer. Some lizards live in the dirt. These are called Dibamidae. They are nearly blind. Other lizards are called skinks. There are over 1500 types of skinks. Many skinks have no legs.
In Australia, there are pygopodids. These are called flap-footed lizards. They have no front legs. They have tiny back legs. These legs look like small flaps. They do not have toes. Some lizards in South America also have small limbs. They use their bodies to move in a figure-8 way. This helps them escape.
Some lizards look very much like snakes. These animals are called legless lizards. They have lost their limbs over time. This means their legs are gone or very small. They cannot use them to move around. It is a special way for them to live.
You can tell them apart from snakes easily. Most lizards have eyelids to cover their eyes. Snakes do not have eyelids. Lizards also have ear openings on the side of their heads. Snakes lack these openings. A lizard usually has a very long tail. Snakes have long bodies but short tails. Most lizards also have two lungs of equal size. Snakes have one short lung and one long lung.
Losing legs often happens as a body gets longer. This happens because the number of vertebrae increases. Vertebrae are the bones that make up the spine. Even when legs are gone, some bones stay. The pelvic girdle is the part of the skeleton near the hips. This part is never completely lost in these lizards. At least the ilium bone is kept. This helps the body stay strong as it grows long.
Many different groups of lizards have evolved this way. The Anguinae group lives in Europe and Asia. They also live in North America and North Africa. This group includes the well-known slow worm. Another group is called Cordylidae. They live in Africa and have 66 species. One genus in this group is almost legless. It has five species with tiny leg bumps.
Some lizards live in very specific places. The Pygopodidae live mostly in Australia. They are also found in New Guinea. These are called flap-footed lizards. They have no front legs at all. They have tiny back legs that look like small flaps. These flaps do not have any digits or toes. In Mexico and Southeast Asia, Dibamidae live in the dirt. They are burrowers that are nearly or completely blind.
There are also 201 species of worm lizards called Amphisbaenia.
Skinks are the largest lizard family in the world. They have over 1500 different species. Many skinks have no legs at all. You can find them in Africa and Australia. Some skinks live in southern Europe and North Africa. In South America, some lizards belong to the genus Bachia. They use a special movement to escape. They flick their bodies and tails in a figure-8 shape. This quick movement helps them get away from danger.
Legless lizards are several different groups of lizards that have evolved to live without limbs. In these animals, limbs have been lost or reduced so much they cannot be used for locomotion. Locomotion is the way an animal moves from one place to another. This physical change often happens alongside body elongation. As these animals grow longer, they typically see an increase in their vertebral number. Vertebrae are the individual bones that make up the spine. This process of losing limbs has occurred independently in many different lizard families across the globe.
While they may look like snakes, legless lizards have several distinct physical traits. One major difference is the presence of eyelids. Most snakes lack eyelids, but legless lizards possess them to cover their eyes. You can also look for external ear openings on the side of the head. Snakes do not have these openings, but legless lizards do. Another way to tell them apart is by their lungs. Snakes usually have one short lung and one very long lung. In contrast, legless lizards typically have two lungs of roughly equal size. Finally, their body proportions differ. Snakes generally have long bodies and short tails, while legless lizards often have very long tails.
Even when limbs disappear, the internal skeleton remains partially intact. The reduction of the shoulder girdle can lead to its complete loss. However, the pelvic girdle, which is the part of the skeleton near the hips, is never completely lost. This remains true regardless of how much the limbs have been reduced. At least the ilium, a specific bone in the pelvis, is retained in limbless lizards and most basal snakes. This means that while the outside of the animal looks smooth, the internal structure still holds onto parts of its ancestral anatomy.
Many different families show these adaptations. The Anguinae subfamily is entirely legless and lives in Europe, Asia, North America, and North Africa. This group includes the slow worm and the glass lizard. In Africa, the Cordylidae family contains 66 species. One genus, Chamaesaura, is almost legless. It has five species with hindlimbs reduced to small, scaly protuberances. In South America, the genus Bachia belongs to the Gymnophthalmidae family. These 23 species use a unique movement to escape. They make sudden saltatory flicks, which are jumping-like motions, in a figure-8 shape using their bodies and tails.
The Pygopodidae are a unique group of 44 species found mostly in Australia. Two species of the genus Lialis are also found in New Guinea. These animals are not strictly legless. While they lack forelimbs, they have greatly reduced hindlimbs. These hindlimbs look like small, digitless flaps. Because of this, people often call them "flap-footed lizards" or "scaly-foot" lizards. Scientists consider pygopodids to be an advanced evolutionary clade of the Gekkota. This is the same group that contains six different families of geckos.
Some legless lizards have specialized lifestyles based on where they live. The Dibamidae family includes 23 species in Mexico and Southeast Asia. These are limbless burrowers, meaning they live and move through the soil. They are also nearly or completely blind. In California and Mexico, the Anniellidae family contains six legless species. There are also 201 species of worm lizards known as Amphisbaenia. These are organized into six families, such as Amphisbaenidae and Bipedidae. In most of these species, the hindlimbs are always absent.
The Scincidae family, commonly known as skinks, is the largest lizard family. It contains over 1,500 species. Many of these species are limbless or nearly limbless. You can find these lizards in many different regions. In Africa, genera like Acontias and Melanoseps show these traits. In Australia, you can find Lerista and Anomalopus. Some species in the genus Chalcides live in southern Europe and North Africa. This massive family shows how common and successful the legless body plan can be in the lizard world.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (1)
More to explore
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.