Eastern glass lizard | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Family: | Anguidae |
Genus: | Ophisaurus |
Species: | O. ventralis
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Binomial name | |
Ophisaurus ventralis (Linnaeus, 1766)
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Synonyms[2][3][4] | |
The eastern glass lizard (Ophisaurus ventralis) is a species of legless lizard in the family Anguidae and the longest and heaviest species of glass lizards in the genus Ophisaurus,[5][failed verification] endemic to the Southeastern United States. The streamlined, legless species is often confused with snakes. Glass lizards differ from snakes as they possess a moveable eyelid and an external ear opening as well as a lateral groove that separates the different types of scales on the animal,[6] all three of these features are absent in snakes. Snakes also have flexible jaws while lizards do not.[5] Ventralis comes from the Latin "venter" meaning belly; this is in reference to the snake-like movement. [7]