Burton's legless lizard

Description

Burton's legless lizard (Lialis burtonis) is a species of lizard in the family Pygopodidae. The species lacks forelegs and has only rudimentary hind legs. Pygopodid lizards are also referred to as legless lizards, flap-footed lizards and snake-lizards. This species is native to Australia and Papua New Guinea. Burton's legless lizard has significant morphological adaptations to enable it to deal with large struggling prey items. The first adaptation is a skull with an elongated snout that may, along with its pointed, recurved and hinged teeth, be an adaptation that assists it to grip its prey. In addition, this elongated snout may also promote binocular vision which would allow strikes to be more accurately directed. Another adaptation that assists Burton's legless lizard to hold its prey is its flexible mesokinetic and hypokinetic joints which allow its jaws to encircle prey. Lastly, the ability of the species to retract its eyes is of key importance as it is a visual predator that relies on eyesight and this adaptation effectively protects them during conflict. Burton's legless lizard occurs almost Australia wide but it is absent in parts of southern Australia including Tasmania. This species is also found in Papua New Guinea, although populations are limited to one small area. Burton's legless lizard is found in a variety of habitats from deserts to the margins of rainforests but not in southern alpine areas and extreme northern deserts as would be expected based on its distribution. It is usually found in low vegetation or debris on the ground such as leaf litter which has been shown to be important to specimens located in tropical environments. This was demonstrated in an experiment where individuals were given a choice of several thermally comparable environments and there was an overwhelming preference for leaf litter by specimens from the tropics. In areas where leaf litter is not as readily available this species will use grasses, abandoned burrows and other shelter that it can find as habitat. L. burtonis feeds almost exclusively on lizards. Generally, skinks are the main prey item taken but other legless lizards, geckos and dragons are also a part of the diet of Burton's legless lizard. In addition, it has been reported that this species will eat small snakes on rare occasions and this has been documented in a study of the stomach contents of museum specimens. Notably, this species also feeds rather infrequently according to a recent study.