I just read this article: Don't call them snakes! 4 legless lizard species discovered in California
Is there a practical difference? Is there a difference other than that their ancestors had legs and the ancestors of snakes lost theirs a long time ago? Or is there a lot more separating them? (I’m realizing now that some of those questions might essentially the same, but worded differently.)
I thought that article was interesting. One of my favorite places to play as a kid over 50 yerars ago were the dunes at the end of the LAX run way where these lizards were found. I had no idea they had never been identified we use to call them glass snakes but were well aware they were lizards. I always thought they were in the skink family because of the head. The lizard will blink his eyes where a snake does not have the moveable eyelid. The mouth and head are very different also, they dont have the unlocking jaws.
Oh yeah, I forgot about the unlocking jaws. Another question: I assume that, many years ago people didn’t know the difference and would group all of these legless reptiles together as snakes. Anybody know who and when the first scientist was that took a close enough look to tell the difference? Was this pre- or post- Linnaeus?
And while we’re at it, there are also snakes with legs (albeit tiny, vestigial ones), like Boa constrictor.
What really amazes me most about these guys is how darn well they do without legs!
After millenia upon millenia of evolution gave us limbs, these groups (at least snakes and lizards) just give them up, willy, nilly, time after time!
And don’t get me started on all those groups (multiple times for marine reptiles and mammals) jumping back into the ocean and RE-EVOLVING FINS!
Lizards have external ear openings I believe.