Mimic Glass Lizard (Ophisaurus mimicus)
Description: The mimic glass lizard is dark brown to black with a dark middorsal stripe down the body and on most of the tail. They have 3-4 dark stripes separated by pale stripes above the lateral grooves. They have a very distinct anatomy of the axis specifically when it comes to their second vertebra which could be attributed to an ecological adaptation, feeding, and/or defensive behavior that requires high head and neck mobility.
Habitat: They are narrowly associated with longleaf pine forests where they tend to prefer frequently burned areas with seasonally saturated soils. Wet prairies and open-canopied seepage slopes seem to be especially important for supporting populations.
Range: Ophiosaurus mimicus was historically found in parts of Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina, although recent observations are confined to very small patches of remaining habitat in Florida, North Carolina, and Alabama.
Diet: The mimic glass lizard feeds on insects and other invertebrates.
Reproduction: Although reproduction in this species remains poorly understood it is probably that female mimic glass lizards lay several eggs in early summer and attend the eggs until they hatch.
Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its relatively wide distribution, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.
»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
»» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
»» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
»» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
»» Order: Squamata - Lizards
»» Family: Anguidae - New World Lizards
»» Genus: Ophisaurus
»» Species: Ophisaurus mimicus - Mimic Glass Lizard
»» Subspecies: None
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mimic Glass Lizard", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.
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