Wednesday 4 December 2013

Florida Worm Lizard

Image: Mary Keim
Rhineura floridana
It's a worm but it's a lizard but it's a worm!

The Florida Worm Lizard is a very special Worm Lizard found only in Florida, U.S. Why is it so special? Because it's the only Worm Lizard in all of North America! So much space...


Yet the entire population lives in just a patch of one peninsular.

The Florida Worm Lizard is certainly not a worm, though you could easily be fooled. With their underground, burrowing lifestyle and a pink body that appears to be segmented, they look and live a lot like a friendly earthworm. And at some 30 cm (1 foot) long, quite a large one at that. They even climb up to the surface when it rains too hard!

However, Worm Lizards are actually the reptiles who belong to a group known as Amphisbaenia. This in turn is within the order Squamata, which also contains all the snakes and lizards. The exact details of the relationship between snakes, Amphisbaenians and all those four-legged reptiles we call lizards is far from clear, but I doubt our Florida Worm Lizard worries his pretty, little head about that.


Video: yuzurename

The word Amphisbaenia means "to go both ways". It's a name they share with a mythical beast who was a serpent with a head on both ends, so it could move both forward and back. That wouldn't be so bad except they also had a venomous bite on both ends. Such is the way of mythical beasts.

Real Amphisbaenians are similar, except they don't have even one venomous bite let alone two, and their tail isn't actually another head. It just looks like it because their tail end stops abruptly instead of tapering away and their head looks so featureless. They can still move forward and backward through their burrow even without an extra head, which may be even more impressive than the mythical beast.

Image: Mary Keim
Burrowing through darkness, Worm Lizards scarcely have a need for eyesight. Their eyes are tiny and covered in scales so they're protected from the soil, but they can still tell light from dark. Their nostrils also point backwards so they don't get filled with mud all the time. It would be very difficult for the limbless Florida Worm Lizard to carry a handkerchief to sneeze into. In fact, the famous Mexican Mole Lizards, or Ajolotes, are the only Worm Lizards with any limbs whatsoever and they don't seem to carry tissues, either.

Amphisbaenians have a bony, little skull for pushing earth out of the way, while their lower jaw slots neatly into an overbite that ensures they don't get a mouthful of soil as they seek out real earthworms and other subterranean creatures to plunge their surprisingly powerful jaws into.

Image: President and Fellows of Harvard College
Their skin meanwhile is rather loosely attached to the body and its segmentation means that it can concertina. Worm Lizards can push their skin forward, press it up against the wall of their burrow and then use their muscles to pull the trunk of their actual body forward. It's quite disgusting, but life underground was never easy and no-one can see them anyway, so they can pretty much do whatever they want.

With these subterranean habits it's no wonder Worm Lizards are so little known and difficult to study. At least with the Florida Worm Lizard we know they lay a mere 1 to 3 eggs in summer, which hatch a few months later.

It's interesting to note that there were once many more Worm Lizards throughout North America. Fossils have been found dating back over 60 million years, to just after the reign of the dinosaurs. It's clear that the Rhineuridae family used to be a lot bigger and more widespread than it is now. All that's left is a single species clinging on to a single state by the skin of its teeth. Thank goodness for that weird, loose, wrinkly skin!

49 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

funky! but florida can keep them. :)

Joseph JG said...

@TexWisGirl: They seem to have precious little interest in moving from there, anyway!

@Crunchy: As Plan B's go, become a worm god has to rate quite highly!

Esther said...

I wonder what would a worm lizard eating a caecillian eating an actual earthworm look like...

Joseph JG said...

Oh wow! That has got to be some kind of infinite!

Suzi Marsh said...

Ha ha!!!

Starr said...

It rained so much here in Gulfport Florida That I gasped when I found a 10 inch long by 1" wide DEAD Worm lizard. which I did not know even existed.

Definitely prehistoric looking.
Sadly not quite loved by me, I practically vomited since I garden with no gloves all the time. But Now I feel sad, one less of this bizarre species.
-RB

Joseph JG said...

That's a shame. But yes, I don't think I would respond well to finding a large corpse right next to my bare hands!

Isma said...

I was just bit by a worm that looked just like this creature. It hurt and still hurts. I live in Charlotte, NC. I hate to tell people, but this worm is in Charlotte, NC now!!

Joseph JG said...

Ooo! That's bad for your bite but good for them!

Unknown said...

I just had my dog bring one in the house. Freaked me out!

Joseph JG said...

Haha! Not the best entrance!

Unknown said...

I just found one dead in my yard. Really wierd.

Joseph JG said...

Yeah, I can imagine that would be quite a creepy discovery!

Song salieri said...

I was walking along a sandy area one day and this huge thing came up out of the dirt in front of me so fast, looking so freaky and opening its mouth.
I got so startled I jumped back, grabbed a rock and dropped it on his head, then I felt bad.
I was shaking though, feeling like I had just escaped some monster.
I asked people about it and they said it was an illusion from the heat.
It looked like these things but pale pink, almost see through, and was quite fat.
I imagine it was also long but only part of it was sticking out. The ground was rippling for a ways though so I figured to to be quite long.
I remembered that scary guy today and decided to look it up.
This lizard is the closest thing to what I saw, and burrows so I guess that's what I saw.
Since they are rare, that explains why people didn't know what I was talking about and why some thought I was bonkers from the heat.
I thought it was trying to attack me. I still felt bad for I figured it must be rare and I hoped I didn't kill it.
From the way it quickly disappeared, I figure it was OK, but then I was afraid to walk there any more.
That was in the summer of 1986.
It's nice to see they are still around.
It doesn't seem they actually pose and threat to people and now I feel even worse for having dropped a rock on him, whatever he was..

Joseph JG said...

Wow, what a story! I don't blame you for being so terrified. This isn't the sort of thing you expect to see crawling out of the ground. It's a bizarre mix of snake and earthworm!

You shouldn't feel too bad, though. They're definitely hard-headed, so your rock might not have done as much damage as you think!

KCMarine said...

I recently found one on the sidewalk in Apopka and had no idea what it was. Google put my mind at ease that it wasn't venomous and was a really interesting find. I brought it home safe and sound to educate the kiddos and let him go. Definitely an interesting little creature up close. Almost "cute as my wife said.

Joseph JG said...

Definitely an interesting find! You're lucky to come across one. It makes me wonder how many times you've walked right over them without even realising

Unknown said...

Just found one in my yard while cleaning up debris from Hurricane Irma. I had no idea what it was. I picked him up to get all of the ants off of him and the placed him in the mulch in my garden. It was pretty interesting watching him burrow into the ground

Joseph JG said...

Awww! So kind of you to help him out!

Unknown said...

I found one on my property with an egg. I took a picture and returned it to the dirt pile.

Joseph JG said...

Gosh, I guess you stumbled on THEIR property!

Unknown said...

My husband and I have a mulch pile by our house. We were digging and seems that we have a nest of them. Is that normal?

Unknown said...

I just found one while cleaning out the garden at my work I was wondering if my husband would be able to use it while fishing so I brought it home and I put it in my garden he told me it was a good thing I didn't get bitten by it because it look like a snake to him hopefully it'll have babies and help my plants I was wondering if I should tell somebody so here it is Orlando Florida has the worm lizard

Unknown said...

I just found my 2nd one! I love in Tampa Florida. Found a very long one last year, almost 2 feet! This one looked a bit over a foot long .CREEPY!! Needless to say I am done gardening for the day!

Corunna said...

I'm born and raised in Daytona Beach (circa 1960). Loved snakes, lizard & bugs my entire life, never met one until today. I'm so very upset I may have either stepped on him or the recycle bin ran him over. He's bleeding from his adorable little mouth. I am heart broken!!! Am so hoping he'll be alright!!!!

Bob h said...

I was digging up my back yard, and one came to the surface. I didn't know what it was, but it did not survive. My rotor tiller tears up the ground pretty goiod. I did not know what it was at the time.
Welcome to Florida and all our lizards, bugs and snakes.

Mila Long said...

I found one at the park (Acrombie) in St. Pete Fla. I did a video on my phone and just looked it up on Google. It has been raining a lot here lately and I guess that is why it came above ground.

Unknown said...

Found one in Myakka City Florida

Unknown said...

Found one in Myakka City Florida


Rockingron60 said...

My grandson of 4, found one in front of his house. He came running into the house trying to tell grandma he saw a white snake
Neither grandma nor I (grandpa) paid much attention to what he was telling us. About 15 minutes later I (grandpa) and my grandson was out front playing when he came to me saying he see's a white snake so I went to investigate and saw this snake. Not knowing what it was, I captured it and put into a jar with leaves to show to his dad and mother. Not sure what dad did with creature. This is the first time I saw a lizard worm/snake. Quite interesting. Brandon, Florida.

Unknown said...

I live in Penha-Santa Catarina, South part of Brazil, near the shore. Today, when making my morning walk along the beach I saw one of this worm. I am writing to tell that if it is from Florida, It is quite far way from home. ;).

Amanda said...

Found one of these and thanks to your page know what it is!

Amanda said...

I also live in North Florida

Unknown said...

Found one under my air conditioner in NPR!

Unknown said...

Found one (Large 14inches) in my garden bed in Polk County

Unknown said...

I think I found a young one while digging a new area. It was white and about 7-8" long. I thought it was a very weird large earthworm and let it go. It was very quick to burrow away and quite different from the others we were finding. SW Hernando County.

Unknown said...

Found one dead in ladylake fl.half it's body was out of ground

Unknown said...

I just got one in my garden here in South Africa.

Unknown said...

I ran into one of these tonight in Dunedin Florida! I took a video but don't see a way to attach it.

Unknown said...

I just found one in my back yard in Lakeland Florida. Weird looking. About a foot long. Kind of skinny. Whitesh see through with orange nose. Couldn't see eyes or mouth.

Unknown said...

Found one yesterday helping a friend in her yard in Winter Haven. Pulled it carefully out of ground with bare hand. Watched it in awe. Seen some big earth worms before but this one was completely white. I thought an albino earth worm at first but it moved quick like a snake. Googled it. Interesting for sure. I took a picture and watched it find cover
It certainly did not like being above ground. Hopefully I'll see another. I'd like to study it for a bit.

Stephanie said...

Just found one on our driveway in Orlando! 30 years in Florida and never saw one before today.

Unknown said...

That's funny I guess we will keep them I was born and raised here didn't even know they exist and I love snakes found one yesterday live here in Ocala coolest thing I've ever seen have a good one

Unknown said...

Just found one as i was walking down the street....in holiday fl....first time ever.....its about to die...ants are staring on him/it

Cilla at Morgan Trailers, Inc., Duette, FL said...

Duette, FL (Manatee Co.) We found one in our big compost pile. My husband shovels it around every now and then and he was surprised. I told him it might be a legless lizard or a "glass snake," as I have heard them called. He brought it to me in a bucket of loose, damp soil and it was busy, pushing down into the dirt. I ran to get my camera and took a couple of pictures, but worm lizard would not cooperate and stay on top of the soil, near my ruler (for size comparison). He was a foot long, for sure, and about 1/2" diameter. Looked like we had bruised him in two small places, but if he doesn't get infected, I think he will be okay. We love to see WORMS in our compost pile, of course, but for a rare critter, I think I will refrain from telling my husband that he/she eats worms. To me, the existence of the worm lizard proves we have got plenty of worms, right now, at least. He won't have the easiest life, dodging a shovel when we load our Earthboxes, but he has a chance! We have 4 or 5 pickup liners full of compost. We only use one at a time. Thank you for helping me identify him. Cilla at Morgan Trailers, Inc., Duette, FL

LeeLee23 said...

My boyfriend was doing yard work and digging up the garden bed when he found one today. We stay in Lake Placid Florida which is just south of Sebring. About 80 miles inland from the Gulf Coast

FlaGuy said...

I found one of these in central Florida back in the 90’s. I was helping my dad with the back patio. It kept flooding everytime it rained. Anyways, when digging to place rocks, If pins one of these. I was fascinated. I took it to school to ask my science teacher. She had never seen one before and couldn’t tell me what it was. Ohh the joys of the internet. All these years later and I finally know what this creature was. Thank you

Buckley said...

Just found a nice lively one in Fruitland Park FL. Looks nice and healthy too me.. I happened to be digging earthworms for fishing bait when I stumbled upon the little guy instead.. It was about 8 inches long and bright glossy pink color tiny head and false head on the tail.. Very cool critter to be able to see in person .. Was a great experience !!

Unknown said...

Very cool.. Found one today. Landscaper finished grading yesterday.. Today my little dog pointed it out. So cool and nice to be able to see one in my lifetime. Nature is so diverse...