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Amphisbaenians
Amphisbaenia
Amphisbaenia (called amphisbaenians or worm lizards) is a group of usually legless squamates, comprising over 180 extant species. Amphisbaenians are characterized by their long bodies, the reduction or loss of the limbs, and rudimentary eyes. As many species have a pink body and scales arranged in rings, they have a superficial resemblance to earthworms. While the genus Bipes retains forelimbs, all other genera are limbless. Although superficially similar to the snakes and Dibamidae, recent phylogenetic studies...
6 branches of this group, most-observed first · about 203 known species
Typical Worm Lizards
familyAmphisbaenidae
Mediterranean Worm Lizards
familyBlanidae
North American Worm Lizards
familyRhineuridae
Shorthead Worm Lizards
familyTrogonophidae
Two-legged Worm Lizards
familyBipedidae
Cuban Keel-headed Worm Lizards
familyCadeidae
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
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geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Amphisbaenia in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 85550.