Eastern Glass Lizard
Ophisaurus ventralis • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Sauria (lizards), Family: Anguidae, Subfamily: Anguinae, Genus: Ophisaurus, Species: O. ventralis
Southeastern United States, ranging from southeastern Virginia south to Florida, and west to Louisiana.
Look up Eastern Glass Lizard in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Sauria (lizards), Family: Anguidae, Subfamily: Anguinae, Genus: Ophisaurus, Species: O. ventralis
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, with primary threats stemming from habitat loss due to agriculture and urban development, as well as mortality from domestic pets and vehicular traffic.
Physical Description
Legless lizard featuring a brownish or greenish back with dark stripes, yellowish underparts, a distinct lateral fold along the body, smooth glossy scales, and a blunt head with visible external ear openings and moveable eyelids (though not clearly visible in this specific angle).
Size & Dimensions
Total length typically ranges from 45 to 108 cm, with the tail making up a significant portion of the total length.
Habitat
Pine flatwoods, wet prairies, grasslands, and agricultural fields, often favoring moist sandy soils and areas near water where they can hide under debris or burrow.
Diet & Feeding
Consists of insects, spiders, snails, small rodents, and occasionally other reptiles or bird eggs, hunted actively through grass and under leaf litter.
Reproduction
Oviparous species, females lay clutches of 8 to 20 eggs in underground burrows or beneath rotting logs and debris during the summer months, guarding the nest until hatching.
Look-alikes
Frequently confused with various snakes due to the lack of limbs, but can be distinguished from snakes by the presence of external ear openings, moveable eyelids, and a rigid, less flexible body shape.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, with primary threats stemming from habitat loss due to agriculture and urban development, as well as mortality from domestic pets and vehicular traffic.
Cultural Significance
Serves an important ecological role as a predator of agricultural pests and invertebrates, and contributes to the local food web for larger predators.
Notable Features
Remarkable for being a lizard rather than a snake, exhibiting the ability to voluntarily detach its tail (autotomy) when threatened, which breaks into multiple pieces (giving the 'glass' lizard its name).