Slender glass lizard
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| Slender glass lizard | ||||||||||||||
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| Ophisaurus attenuatus Cope,, 1880 |
The Slender Glass Lizard, Ophisaurus attenuatus reaches a length of up to 1 metre. It has a yellow to brown body with six stripes and lateral grooves. Two subspecies are recognised, the Western slender glass lizard Ophisaurus attenuatus attenuatus and the Eastern slender glass lizard O. a. longicaudus.
This glass lizard is mainly found in the southeastern United States, but can be found as far north as Wisconsin in grassland or open woodlands. Although not endangered overall in the US, it is regarded as vulnerable or endangered in some states, because of loss of habitat, and the fragmentation of what remains by roads.
Slender glass lizards are diurnal, so they are quite often seen, but they can move fast (with a serpentine movement like that of a snake). If captured a specimen may thrash vigorously, causing part of the tail to fall off in one or more pieces. They eat a range of insects, such as grasshoppers, crickets and beetles, and will also take spiders, small mice, snails, and the eggs of reptiles and ground-nesting birds. Unlike snakes, glass lizards do not have flexible jaws, and this limits the size of prey items they can consume. They forage both above ground and underground in burrows. They use burrows to sleep in, or to hibernate, but rarely make their own. They are quite calm and are a nice resolution for any kids who like to play with snakes!
Slender glass lizards reach sexual maturity in two or three years. The female lays and broods eggs, but does not usually breed every year. Average clutch size is 12 eggs, but ranges from 5 to 17.
At least in the northern part of their range, slender glass lizards hibernate.