Worm Lizard (suborder Amphisbaenia)

ReptileBurrowerLook-alike

Overview

Worm lizards (suborder Amphisbaenia) are strange, secretive burrowing reptiles that look uncannily like large earthworms: long, cylindrical, usually pink or pale, and ringed with grooves that divide the body into ring-like segments. Despite their name and their snake-like, mostly legless bodies, worm lizards are neither worms, nor true lizards, nor snakes — they are a distinct lineage of squamate reptiles (the group that includes lizards and snakes), specialised for life underground.

Almost all worm lizards are limbless, though a few (the ajolotes) keep tiny front legs. Their whole body is built for tunnelling, and most spend their entire lives hidden beneath the surface, rarely seen.

Note: “worm lizard” covers many amphisbaenian species; details here describe the group broadly. Treat general statements as approximate and verify against authoritative sources.

Habitat & Range

Worm lizards live mostly underground in warm regions, with species in South and Central America, Africa, the Middle East, parts of Europe (such as Iberia), and elsewhere. They burrow through soil, sand, and leaf litter in habitats ranging from rainforest to dry scrub, and are occasionally found at the surface after rain or when turned up by digging. Their subterranean lifestyle keeps them out of sight for most of their lives.

Diet

Worm lizards are carnivores that hunt small prey underground and at the surface — ants, termites, beetle larvae, worms, and other small invertebrates, and sometimes small vertebrates. They have strong jaws and interlocking teeth, and can bite chunks from prey larger than they could swallow whole, an unusual ability among small burrowing reptiles.

Behavior

Everything about a worm lizard is shaped by burrowing. The skull is strong and often used as a digging tool — different groups push tunnels with a rounded, shovel-shaped, or keel-shaped head — and the skin forms loose rings that let the body move like a piston, gripping the tunnel and pulling forward (they can also move backwards, which helps in tight burrows). Their eyes are tiny and hidden beneath skin, since vision is little use underground; instead they rely on touch and smell. Most are rarely encountered, and much of their behaviour remains poorly known. They are harmless to people.

Human Interaction & Conservation

Worm lizards are harmless and rarely seen, and because they live underground they generally go unnoticed and are sometimes mistaken for worms or small snakes when uncovered. Many species are poorly studied, so their conservation status is often unclear, though as a group they are not a particular concern; like all soil animals they depend on healthy, undisturbed ground. Consult authoritative sources for species-specific details.

More photos of the worm lizard