Snake or Legless Lizard? Striking Differences to Tell Them Apart

Legless lizards are found on every continent except Antarctica. Unlike most lizards, the female stays to guard the eggs until they hatch. Some glass lizard species even give birth to live young.

If you saw a long, slithery, legless animal in the grass, you'd probably say, snake! But it could also be a legless lizard. These lizards evolved from legged lizards over millions of years, slowly losing their limbs along the way.

Legless lizards (also called glass lizards) look a lot like snakes. Both have long, slim, scaly bodies. Both flick forked tongues and slide through sand. Both lay eggs that hatch outside the body. Both even eat similar food, including mice and bird eggs.

So what's the difference? There are five key clues.

Legless Lizards vs. Snakes

The two animals share the same slithery shape, so it pays to know the clues a reptile-spotter checks first. Here they are, side by side.

Legless lizard vs. snake, at a glance

Clue	🦎 Legless Lizard	🐍 Snake
👁️Eyelids	Has movable eyelids, it can blink and close its eyes.	No eyelids at all, a clear scale covers each eye, so it never blinks.
👂Ears	Has small external ear openings on the sides of the head.	No ear holes, snakes "hear" mostly by feeling vibrations.
😮Jaws	Stiff jaws that can't open wide; eats small prey like beetles and snails.	Loose, stretchy jaws that swallow prey bigger than its own head.
🪱Movement	Bends side to side only; can't cross flat surfaces like roads.	Uses both belly scales and sides, so it moves in many more ways.
🪢Tail	Very long, about two-thirds of the body; can snap off to escape.	Long body with a comparatively short tail.

Eyelids

Legless lizards have movable eyelids, they can blink, just like you can. Snakes have no eyelids at all. Instead, a clear, see-through scale sits over each eye. That's why a snake's eyes always look wide open and glassy.

Jaws

A legless lizard's jaws are stiff, it can't open its mouth very wide. So it sticks to small prey: beetles, snails, grasshoppers, and spiders. A snake's jaws are very stretchy. It can swallow prey bigger than its own head!

Ears

All legless lizards have small ear openings on the sides of their heads. Snakes have no ear openings at all.

Locomotion

A legless lizard can only push off with its sides, so it moves with a side-to-side wriggle. A snake can use both its belly scales and its sides, that gives it a much wider range of movement. One tell: a legless lizard can't grip flat surfaces like paved roads and will struggle to cross them.

Tail

The tail of a legless lizard makes up almost two-thirds of its entire body length. A snake is the opposite, it has a long body and a shorter tail.

The tail is a glass lizard's secret weapon. When a predator grabs it, the lizard can snap off its own tail and escape. The tail often breaks into more than one piece, just like shattering glass. That's exactly where the name "glass lizard" comes from! The lizard can regrow its tail, but only once in its lifetime. The new tail takes several months or even a year or two to grow back, and it usually comes back shorter and paler than the original.

• 👁️ Eyelids
• 👂 Ears
• 😮 Jaws
• 🪱 Locomotion
• 🪢 Tail

Spot the Difference: Snake or Lizard?

5 quick questions. Can you tell these slithery lookalikes apart?

Start Quiz

In 2007, scientists discovered a 95-million-year-old fossil that hints at a shared ancestor between snakes and legless lizards. The fossil had tiny, non-functional front limbs and normal working hind legs. Scientists think it is the closest known relative of whatever ancient creature gave rise to both groups.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the easiest way to tell a legless lizard from a snake?

Look at the head. A legless lizard has movable eyelids and small ear openings on the sides of its head. A snake has neither, its eyes never blink and it has no ear holes.

Why are legless lizards called glass lizards?

When a predator grabs them, their tail can snap off (often into more than one piece) like shattering glass. The lizard escapes and slowly regrows a shorter, paler tail.

Are legless lizards really lizards and not snakes?

Yes. Legless lizards evolved from legged lizards and are true lizards. They only look like snakes because they share a long, limbless, cylindrical body.

Can a legless lizard open its mouth as wide as a snake?

No. A legless lizard's jaws are not flexible, so it eats small prey like beetles, snails, grasshoppers, and spiders. Snakes can unhinge their jaws to swallow prey larger than their own heads.

Where do legless lizards live?

Legless lizards are found on every continent except Antarctica, usually in grassland, sandy soil, and leaf litter where they can burrow and hide.

So next time you spot a long, slithering, legless creature, check the head. Can it blink? Does it have ear holes? If yes, you've found a glass lizard. If not, it's a snake. Five clues, and you'll never mix them up again!

Explore More Animals

Different Types of Lizards: A Field Guide to 26 FamiliesMeet 26 families of lizards - agamas, geckos, chameleons, iguanas, Komodo dragons and more - with photos, where they live, what they eat, and one amazing fact f How Snakes Digest Their FoodSnakes can go weeks or even years without eating, and when they do eat, something amazing happens inside their bodies. Find out how snakes digest their food. Snake Eggs: Amazing Facts and Easy Identification TipsSnake eggs are leathery and oblong, quite unlike a bird's egg. Learn how snake eggs are laid and hatched, how to tell a snake egg from a bird egg, and simple t 3 Stages in the Life Cycle of a SnakeThe life cycle of a snake starts with the egg stage and ends at the adult stage. In some species the female gives birth to live young. Discover all three stages