Nearing the End

Found this on a Central Florida street. Dead, thank goodness.

• full body
• tail?
• head?

Not snake, lizard or worm. It's an Amphisbaenia.

I've seen a live one before and it was hideous. I'm not afraid of snakes or worms but these worm lizard things really creep me out. The best way to describe my reaction is to imagine the gut revulsion to a foot long maggot. That's how I felt when I saw it writhing in the street.

Also known as a "graveyard snake" because they're normally found six feet under ground. I apparently enticed mine to the surface by leaving a pile of grass clippings and leaves sitting next to my house for months. That plus heavy daily rains flooding the ground may have forced the creature upward. I saw the live worm lizard squirm it's way onto the pavement when I finally moved the pile to the street. (No, not the dead specimen in the photos above.) I freaked out when I saw the live one so I... ran away. I returned later with a shovel and, using all my courage, helped the thing back to the earth. On the other side of the street. The soil was dry but sandy. It dove right in (tail first?) and disappeared.

Links

• EmpireOfTheTurtle.com (extreme close-up!)
• Stetson University (close-up)
• Siar Anthranir Photography Catalog (close-up)
• Google images
• Reptiles Magazine (article & photo)
• Mexican version (harmless, but not armless)
• Encyclopedia Britannica Article (text only)
• University of Georgia (text only, claims found in Georgia too)
• Genetic Structure within the Florida Worm Lizard (abstract only, yawn)

last updated 1 year ago #