Burton's Legless Lizard
Lialis burtonis • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Autarchoglossa, Family: Pygopodidae, Subfamily: Pygopodinae, Genus: Lialis, Species: Lialis burtonis
Endemic to mainland Australia, occurring widely across arid and semi-arid regions including the Tanami Desert in the Northern Territory, as well as parts of coastal areas.
Look up Burton's Legless Lizard in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Autarchoglossa, Family: Pygopodidae, Subfamily: Pygopodinae, Genus: Lialis, Species: Lialis burtonis
Conservation
Least Concern according to the IUCN Red List, with widespread distribution and stable populations across much of its natural range.
Physical Description
Distinctive wedge-shaped, pointed snout, movable eyelids (unlike snakes), visible external ear openings, large scales on the head, and a slender cylindrical body with smooth, overlapping scales displaying variable coloration from pale cream and grey to reddish-brown or patterned stripes.
Size & Dimensions
Specimens typically reach a total length of 45 to 60 centimeters, with the tail making up a significant portion of the total body length.
Habitat
Found in a variety of habitats ranging from arid spinifex grasslands and sand dunes to open woodlands and tropical savannas, utilizing leaf litter, hummock grass, and rocks for shelter.
Diet & Feeding
Specialized feeder focusing almost exclusively on other reptiles, primarily skinks, using a slow-stalking ambush strategy and a flexible lower jaw and hinged skull to consume large prey whole.
Reproduction
Oviparous species typically laying small clutches of 1 to 2 elongated eggs, usually during the warmer months coinciding with the Australian spring and summer.
Conservation Status
Least Concern according to the IUCN Red List, with widespread distribution and stable populations across much of its natural range.
Cultural Significance
Acts as an important component of Australian arid ecosystems as both a predator of small lizards and prey for larger desert predators.
Notable Features
Exhibits extreme morphological specialization for a lizard, including a uniquely elongated, pointed snout adapted for probing reptile burrows and a highly kinetic skull.
Notes
Tanami NT