Mole-Limbed Wormlizards: Bipedidae

These three species spend most of their time in the underground tunnels that they dig. They dig their tunnels with their front legs and with their heads, typically starting new tunnels with their legs and then switching to their heads to make them longer and deeper. When they are digging with their heads, they lay the front legs along the sides of the body. Their tunnels can wander through the soil, sometimes opening underneath rocks or logs at the surface, scooting along less than an inch (2.5 centimeters) underground, or dropping down to almost 8 inches (20 centimeters) deep. At night, they may leave their tunnels and crawl about above ground, but they rarely venture out during the daytime. By living underground, they avoid most predators. If a predator (PREH-duh-ter) does manage to capture one, the mole-limbed wormlizard is able to drop its tail. Unlike many other lizards, however, it does not regrow its tail.

Females of all three species lay eggs, usually one to four at a time. Some may only have young every other year. Females in two of the three species lay their eggs in January, and the eggs hatch three months later. Females of the third species lay their eggs in July, and the eggs hatch two months later.