Amphisbaena caeca: Difference between revisions
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==Description== |
==Description== |
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The Common Blind Snake Lizard is pinkish-brown on the head and tail with many dark spots on the annuli (body rings) of which there are between 214 and 237 in this species. It measures 10 inches (260 millimeters) in length, from snout to vent. Because it is somewhat difficult to distinguish its head from its tail it is sometimes referred to as a "two-headed snake" (in Puerto Rico "Culebra de dos cabezas") by local people. According to folklore, wearing a live Amphisbaena on |
The Common Blind Snake Lizard is pinkish-brown on the head and tail with many dark spots on the annuli (body rings) of which there are between 214 and 237 in this species. It measures 10 inches (260 millimeters) in length, from snout to vent. Because it is somewhat difficult to distinguish its head from its tail it is sometimes referred to as a "two-headed snake" (in Puerto Rico "Culebra de dos cabezas") by local people. According to folklore, wearing a live Amphisbaena on the body "helps safeguard pregnancy" while wearing a dead snake "helps rheumatism". |
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==Habits== |
==Habits== |
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Revision as of 03:59, 6 December 2012
| Amphisbaena caeca | |
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| Species: | A. caeca
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| Amphisbaena caeca Cuvier, 1829
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Amphisbaena caeca, also known as the Puerto Rican Worm Lizard, is a species of worm lizard endemic to Puerto Rico. These animals are vermicular reptiles that live under logs, rocks and dirt. Other species of Amphisbaena in the Caribbean include Amphisbaena schmidti, Amphisbaena xera, Amphisbaena fenestrata, Cadea blanoides and Amphisbaena bakeri.
Amphisbaenids are legless, worm-like lizards with elongated bodies nearly uniform in diameter. They are covered with ring-like scales similar in appearance to earthworms. They are underground animals, hence the eyes have degenerated to tiny indistinct spots under the rings.
Description
The Common Blind Snake Lizard is pinkish-brown on the head and tail with many dark spots on the annuli (body rings) of which there are between 214 and 237 in this species. It measures 10 inches (260 millimeters) in length, from snout to vent. Because it is somewhat difficult to distinguish its head from its tail it is sometimes referred to as a "two-headed snake" (in Puerto Rico "Culebra de dos cabezas") by local people. According to folklore, wearing a live Amphisbaena on the body "helps safeguard pregnancy" while wearing a dead snake "helps rheumatism".
Habits
They can be found burrowing in the ground under logs, rocks, old tree stumps and under termite and ant nests.
Habitat
They live in dense woodlands, thickets and caves in Puerto Rico, Isla Vieques, Isla Culebra and the Virgin Islands.[1]
See also
References
- ^ http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gjAwhwtDDw9_AI8zPyhQoY6BdkOyoCAGixyPg!/?navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=fsbdev3_043063&navid=150130000000000&pnavid=150000000000000&ss=110819&position=Not Yet Determined.Html&ttype=detail&pname=El Yunque National Forest- Nature
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- Rivero, Juan A., 1978; The Amphibians and Reptiles of Puerto Rico, Editorial de la Universidad de Puerto Rico