California legless lizard

Description

Anniella pulchra, the California legless lizard, is a limbless, burrowing lizard often mistaken for a snake. These lizards are around 7 inches (18 cm) long from snout to vent (not including tail). They have small, smooth scales typically colored silvery above and yellow below, although black or dark brown forms exist in Monterey County, California which were thought to be a separate subspecies at one point. They live in loose, sandy soils or leaf litter, typically in sand dunes along the coast. They are found from Contra Costa County in northern California, all the way south to Baja California, although occurrences are often scattered. They require moisture to aid in shedding their skin. Without it, their vision and feeding can be affected, potentially starving the animal. There were formerly two subspecies of California legless lizard recognized based on individual color morphs: the silvery legless lizard, A. p. pulchra, and the black legless lizard, A. p. nigra. However, contemporary taxonomy considers them simply a melanistic morph. The family Anniellidae, known as American legless lizards, contains six species in a single genus Anniella: A. pulchra, the California legless lizard, the rare A. geronimensis, Baja California legless lizard, and four more discovered in 2013.