Found across much of Australia in almost every habitat, Burton's legless lizard, Lialis burtonis, is one of Australia's most common reptiles.
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Being limbless, skinny and sometimes up to 60cm long these lizards are often mistaken for snakes but there are numerous characteristics that scientists use to set them apart from other legless reptiles.
These lizards lack front legs and their back legs have been reduced to a flap of scale that is hard to see.
They have a long and pointy head, ear holes and a broad fleshy tongue. Like many other lizards they lack eyelids and must use their tongues to clean their eyes.
Snakes don't have eyelids either, but they don't clean their eyes with their tongues.
Unlike snakes they have been known to make barking noises like a gecko and if threatened they can drop their tails which are proportionately much longer than a snakes tail.
The Burtons legless lizard come in an incredible range of colours and patterns that can include shades of brown, red, grey and black with stripes, specks or spots decorating their scales.
Fearsome predators they hunt many smaller reptiles, mainly skinks and geckos but have been known to take small snakes if they can.
They will usually hide in leaf litter while hunting but have been seen stalking prey, sneaking up on them, sometimes using the tip of their tails as bait to lure the unsuspecting closer to within striking distance.
They will generally kill prey by clamping down on the victims chest or neck to strangle them.
Then they swallow them whole, head first.
Even though the Burton's legless lizard is very distinctive it is always safer to leave identification and removal of any suspected snake to the experts.
If you see what you think might be a snake in your garden, leave it alone.
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