Earthworm lizards have pink or brown scaly skin, black beady eyes, and sometimes shy smiles. But behind that smile are sharp teeth, a strong jaw, and one large middle tooth.New research reveals the skulls of these little beasts and how their noggins help dig in the ground.
Despite their vague common name and wriggling nature, these lizards are not insects. Also, “worm lizard” sounds more like the word spelled for bee than “Am-fis-BEE-nee-un”. That is the official name for these generally limbless reptiles.
These rare animals, which can be easily accessed by humans, live throughout most of the tropical world. Their habitat extends to the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Africa. This includes South America, the Caribbean, and even Florida. However, they are difficult to spot because they spend most of their time underground.
Due to their mysterious (hard to see) lifestyle, researchers know little about these lizards. For worm lizards Digaspis Despite being the most common genus, scientists only studied the animal’s appearance. But in two new papers, researchers describe and compare the skulls of earthworms and lizards bone by bone.
Scientists broadly classify earthworm lizards into head shapes: round, shovel-like, keel-like, and spade-like. These shapes can affect how each type moves across the ground. Juan Daza, a co-author of one of the new papers, studies reptiles at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. He suspects the round-headed lizards are slowly jackhammering their way through the soil. Shovel-headed species, on the other hand, may use their noggins to scoop out soil when digging holes. A new study looks at the heads of earthworm lizards for clues about how different species function.
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Source: www.snexplores.org
