Some reptiles have evolved to live without legs, giving them a long, snake-like appearance. This adaptation allows them to move efficiently through narrow spaces, soil, or dense vegetation. Despite lacking limbs, they are fully capable of crawling, burrowing, and navigating their environment with surprising speed and agility.
These limbless reptiles often have elongated, cylindrical bodies that help them slip through tight spaces. Their scales are smooth and overlapping, reducing friction as they move. The absence of legs is offset by strong muscles and a flexible spine, which generate the undulating motion needed to propel them forward.
Many of them live underground or under leaf litter, taking advantage of their streamlined shape to hunt for insects, worms, and other small prey. Their limbless design makes it easier to tunnel through soil or hide in crevices, keeping them safe from predators while providing access to food sources that might be unavailable to other animals.
Coloration plays a role in their survival as well. They often display muted earth tones like brown, gray, or sandy hues that help them blend into their surroundings. This camouflage protects them from predators and allows them to approach prey unnoticed, making them efficient hunters despite their small size.
Reproduction among these reptiles can vary, with some laying eggs while others give birth to live young. Limbless reptiles generally rely on stealth and concealment to protect their offspring, often choosing hidden or secure locations for nests or giving birth in safe areas to reduce predation risk.
Lizards With No Legs (Legless)
California Legless Lizard (Anniella pulchra)
Found in: Sandy, loose soils of coastal and Southern California and Baja California.
This small, shiny-scaled burrower is often mistaken for a worm or a small snake. It lacks any external limbs and has a blunt tail and a wedge-shaped head for navigating through sand.
European Slowworm (Anguis fragilis)
Found in: Europe and parts of Asia.
A smooth, cylindrical, legless lizard often found in gardens. It can be distinguished from snakes by its blinking eyelids and its ability to detach its tail (autotomy).
Sheltopusik / European Glass Lizard (Pseudopus apodus)
Found in: Southeastern Europe and Central Asia.
One of the world’s largest legless lizards, it can reach over 4 feet in length. It has visible ear openings and a long, brittle tail that can break into several pieces.
Burton’s Legless Lizard (Lialis burtonis)
Found in: Australia and New Guinea.
This species has completely lost its limbs. It has a unique, wedge-shaped snout and a hinge in its jaw, allowing it to be a specialist predator that swallows other lizards whole.
Eastern Glass Lizard (Ophisaurus ventralis)
Found in: The southeastern United States.
This long, slender lizard lacks functional limbs and possesses a deep groove along each side of its body. Its tail can shatter into pieces when seized, a defense mechanism that gives it the “glass” name.
Worm Lizard (Amphisbaenia)
Found in: Africa, South America, parts of North America, and Europe.
While a separate suborder from lizards and snakes, amphisbaenians are limbless, burrowing reptiles. Their name means “to go both ways,” as their head and tail are nearly identical.
Cape Legless Skink (Acontias meleagris)
Found in: South Africa.
A completely limbless skink that lives a secretive life burrowing in sandy soils. It has a smooth, cylindrical body and is often pinkish or brownish in color.
Keeled Legless Lizard (Pletholax gracilis)
Found in: Southwestern Australia.
A small, limbless lizard distinguished by the keeled (ridged) scales on its body. It moves with a serpentine motion through leaf litter and sandy soils.
Pink-tongued Skink (Cyclodomorphus gerrardii)
Found in: Eastern Australia.
While this species has tiny, vestigial hind limbs, they are non-functional and often overlooked. Its exceptionally long, slender body and snake-like appearance often lead to misidentification.
Mexican Burrowing Lizard (Anelytropsis papillosus)
Found in: Northeastern Mexico.
A rare, limbless lizard from the family Dibamidae. It is a small, worm-like, burrowing species that is virtually blind and lacks any external ear openings.
Striped Legless Lizard (Delma impar)
Found in: The grasslands and grassy woodlands of southeastern Australia.
This slender lizard has no forelimbs and its hind limbs are reduced to tiny, flap-like scales. It is characterized by the dark stripes running along its body and its serpentine movement through grass tussocks, making it easily mistaken for a small snake.
Javelin Lizard (Bipes biporus)
Found in: The Baja California Peninsula in Mexico.
A unique member of the amphisbaenians, this species is often called the “Mexican Mole Lizard.” It is not a true lizard but is closely related. It has lost its hind limbs but retains two strong, clawed forelimbs for digging, giving it a highly unusual appearance.
Island Glass Lizard (Ophisaurus compressus)
Found in: The coastal plains of the southeastern United States, particularly on barrier islands.
This species is similar to other glass lizards but is smaller and has a more compressed body. It is completely limbless and is often found in sandy habitats where it burrows to escape heat and predators.
Sharp-snouted Worm Lizard (Anops kingii)
Found in: South America, including parts of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay.
This amphisbaenian has a completely limbless, worm-like body with a distinctive, sharply pointed head adapted for burrowing. Its pinkish color and annulated (ringed) scales make it nearly identical in appearance to a large earthworm.