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Galliwasps Alligator Lizards and Relatives: Anguidae

Alligator Lizards, Galliwasps, Their Relatives, And People

Because many species like to hide, people rarely see them in the wild unless a person is plowing a field or raking leaves in their habitat. Some people mistake the glass lizard's stubby and pointed regrown tail for a stinger, but all lizards in this family are harmless. Several species are fairly common in the pet trade.

LIZARD OR SNAKE?

Several species of lizards, including the glass lizards of the family Anguidae, have no legs. Many people confuse these lizards with snakes. In fact, another common name for the eastern glass lizard is actually glass snake. At least two features, however, can give away this lizard's true identity. Unlike snakes, the eastern glass lizard has eyelids that it can blink shut and has ear openings that look like a hole on each side of the head. Snakes cannot blink shut their eyes and have no visible ear openings. The glass lizards get their name from their tails, which easily break off as if they were made of glass.

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Animal Life ResourceDinosaurs, Snakes, and Other ReptilesGalliwasps Alligator Lizards and Relatives: Anguidae - Physical Characteristics, Diet, Behavior And Reproduction, Alligator Lizards, Galliwasps, Their Relatives, And People - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT