worm lizard

English

Red worm lizard (Amphisbaena alba)

Alternative forms

  • worm-lizard

Noun

worm lizard (plural worm lizards)

  1. Any of many small limbless burrowing tropical squamate reptiles, of the family Amphisbaenidae or of the superfamily or suborder Amphisbaenia, that resemble worms.
    • 2016 July 13, Elsa Panciroli, “How did legless worm-lizards cross the Atlantic?”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 18 October 2026:
      Most species of worm-lizard still retain remnants of their pelvis and pectoral girdle (hips and shoulders), but only four species from Mexico out of the 180 currently known around the world still have functioning forelimbs.

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References

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