Anguids number about 100 species in 13 genera. They inhabit both Hemispheres, the current distribution and fossil record suggests a Laurasian origin, possibly in the Cretaceous. They have mostly terrestrial and semifossorial life styles, (but Abronia are arboreal) in habitats that range from rainforests and cloud forests to grasslands and sand dunes. Osteoderms are small bones that underlay the scales in these lizards. They tend to have elongated bodies and many show trends toward reduced or absent limbs. Size ranges from 55 mm to 1400 mm. Exceptionally fragile tails are commonly found in many of these lizards, and the reason why one group has been given the name glass lizards. Most lay eggs but a few are viviparous. All are carnivorous. Thomas Barbour discussed anguids in the genus Ophisaurus, in his 1928 book Reptiles & Amphibians, he wrote:
"In some of the anguid lizards the body itself is very short, while the tail forms the greater part of the creature and may break into several wriggling pieces, thus allowing the relatively inconspicuous body to escape. These lizards are the so called glass snakes, also known as blind worms in Europe, certainly inapt names. However, the skin is hard and glassy and the broken pieces fairly crack apart. Country people have the idea that they join together again after the danger is past, which needless to say, is quite impossible."
The Madrean Alligator Lizard, Elgaria kingi Gray, 1838. Photographed in Cochise Co., Arizona. Adult body size reaches 132 mm. The Madrean Alligator Lizard is a montane species that uses chaparral, oak woodland and fir forests. They seem to like areas that are rocky and near permanent water. But, they will use other microhabitats. This lizard can be found active early in the morning and at dusk. Females lay 9-15 eggs. Their diet is insectivorous.
Tropical Montane Alligator Lizard, Mesaspis monticola (Cope, 1877). Photographed in central Costa Rica, top photo is a male, bottom photo is a female. Known from Costa Rica and Panama at elevations above 1500 m. Adults reach a total length of 236 mm. These animals were on the ground and took refuge under rocks, in a high pasture. They also occur in Subalpine Parmao and montane rainforest. Food is mostly insects but they will also eat small salamanders and lizards. Females give birth to 2-10 live young, and appear to attend to them after they are born. This species has also evolved a placenta for nourishing the embryos during development.
Western Slender Glass Lizard, Ophisaurus attenuatus attenuatus (Cope, 1880). Photographed in Douglas Co., Kansas. Adult total length can be 1067 mm, with a body length of 289 mm, the the tail is about twice the body length. These lizards readily break their tails into several pieces to escape predation, thus the name, glass lizards. Grasslands and open woodlands are typical habitats. Southern Wisconsin to the Gulf Coast, as far west as central Kansas.
Eastern Slender Glass Lizard, Ophisaurus attenuatus longicaudus McConkey, 1852. Photographed in central Florida. Ranges from Kentucky and Virginia south to the Gulf and all most all of peninsular Florida.
Eastern Glass Lizard, Ophisaurus ventralis (Linnaeus 1766). Photographed in central Florida. Adults reach 1083 mm in total length, with a maximum body size of 306 mm. This lizard inhabits wet meadows, grasslands, and pinewood flats.
