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Western Slender Glass Lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus)

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Family: Anguidae

Size: 18-27 in. with tail

Status: Endangered

Description: This legless lizard is often mistaken for a snake. However, unlike snakes, glass lizards have movable eyelids, external ear openings, long lateral body grooves and very rigid bodies. The tail makes up about two-thirds of the lizard s length. Body color varies from tan to brown or bronze, and a thin brown stripe runs down the center of the back, from the head well onto the tail. Two wider blackish stripes run along each side of the body and tail and on some glass lizards there are additional fine lines below the lateral groove. The belly is colored a solid pale yellow. Glass lizards inhabit oak savannas, the edges of open oak woodlands, and sand prairies, and require sandy soils for burrowing. Habitat loss and fragmentation are primarily responsible for its endangered status. Insects, including crickets, grasshoppers, and beetle larvae make up most of their diet, but they have been known to occasionally feed on bird eggs and very young mice.

More information about Western Slender Glass Lizards is available on the detailed factsheet...