The world of wildlife is so beautiful that, knowing, it would seem, a huge number of species, families, classes of animals, insects, fish, reptiles, birds and seeing their extraordinary originality, we will never be able to find out everything about them. Studying some, mankind misses the appearance of new specimens, while exploring others - it loses its rare representatives.
The variety of reptiles always staggers the imagination of the layman. The number of lizards on the planet, according to scientists, exceeds 4000 known and more or less studied species. Of these, 3,500 are the most significant and widespread group, which consists of about 300 genera and 20 major families.
So, legless lizards are amazing representatives of the reptile family of the squad called scaly.
Structure
Lizards of this species do not have openings responsible for hearing. Bone-shaped plates located under the scaly surface of the skin are quite fragile and poorly developed. There are no limbs at all. The eyelids are very mobile, the eyes themselves are small. The jaws are firmly connected. There are no arches of the temporal region.
Lifestyle
The main place of existence in everyday life for them is sandy soil. Here, underground, lizards seek food for themselves, break through passages in the ground, and breed. They practically do not go to the surface of the earth, preferring a “dark” and comfortable house.
Inhabited by the prevalence of soil over vegetation, they do not suffer from a lack of nutrition. Being inside the earth, or hiding under stones, they quickly react to the movement that occurs on the surface. And thanks to the quick reaction, grabbing the intended “lunch” is not a big deal.
What do legless lizards eat?
“Legless persons” are predators. Their diet is rich in various larvae of insects, earthworms, arachnids and invertebrates of other orders.
Progeny
Legless lizards bring about 4 small cubs in one egg production. The ability to bear offspring occurs in them at 2.5 - 3 years, at the age of full sexual readiness.
Evolutionary and biological development of the species
The most ancient species of lizards found in India was Indiana Tikiguaniya Estesi. Her age at the time of discovery was almost 220 million years. Scientists came to the conclusion that the remains of a lizard can be attributed to 3-4 period of the late type of development. The place where a similar species was found for the first time is considered a historical artifact formed by the natural combination of late soil layers.
Legless lizards of the late periods of phylogenesis were not found. Only large individuals could survive in historical development.
Species of legless lizards
Lizards, like snakes, belong to the well-known zoology of the scientific class - “reptiles”. However, their pronounced external similarity does not at all speak of a natural identity. First of all, snakes, as a rule, have the ability to release poison. In lizards, it is often absent, with the exception of rare species of large representatives. The tremendous variety of reptiles poses a challenge for science. However, over time, experts still cope with them.
One existing genus includes two main types:
1. California legless lizard.
2. Jeronimsky legless lizard.
Due to the sometimes indistinguishable similarity with dangerous snakes, these species of lizards suffer greatly. People, not understanding the nature of reptiles, kill them without much pity.
The California lizard has a body length of about 20-25 cm. The color of the body is usually slightly brown or greenish-smoky. On the back and in the area of the sides there are dark narrow lines.
In the forest belt of the European zone of the Russian Federation, including in the nature of the Caucasus, the legless spider lizard (coppers) is often found. In the southern part of the country, the legless yellow lizard (capercaillie) is widespread. Two of the above reptiles lack limbs. Movement on the surface of the earth is due to the body's ability to wriggle. The torso and head are firmly connected, interception in the neck is completely absent.
The legless spindle lizard eats larvae of insects, earthworms and small mollusks. Thanks to sharp teeth and a rigid jaw structure, it reliably clings and holds prey, while eating it slowly. The spindle-tree can always get any mollusk out of the shelter, no matter how far it hides. The lizard carefully creeps into the shell, gradually eating the prey from the inside, from start to finish.
Yellowfoot is one of the largest representatives of the legless.
Another legless lizard belongs to the genus called sepsophis. This species was discovered back in the 70s of the 19th century in one of the states of India.
How to distinguish a lizard from a snake?
Existing lizards deprived of legs cause a lot of doubt in people, which are often interpreted incorrectly. Historical stories of religious origin say that once all snakes had legs, but for their deeds on Earth they were doomed to an eternal curse that caused them to crawl and grovel. According to this myth, it was then that the snakes lost their legs forever. The most interesting thing is that most scientists of evolutionary biologists to some extent agree with the opinion that the legs of the reptile – snake really were. Only here the loss of limbs, in their opinion, is, first of all, a fact caused by the evolutionary movement of the process of natural selection. As a result, being without legs has become a great virtue, helping to successfully exist in nature for a long time. For example, in vipers there are no limbs at all, but in simple species of snakes in the pelvic region, small processes with small claws can be seen that resemble underdeveloped legs.
In addition to the above, I would like to determine the criteria by which to distinguish a lizard without legs from a snake will be easy:
1. The mobility of the eyelids. With a snake, the eyelids are static, with lizards they are dynamic.
2. The cervical girdle. In a lizard, the place of narrowing is almost impossible to determine, in a snake it is visible to the naked eye.
Please note that, despite the ease of determining the genus, you should not take reptiles of an unknown species into your hands. Own safety and excessive caution often saves you from going to the hospital.