EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Osteoderms are present in some groups of lizards including helodermatids, some skinks, legless lizards, and girdle-tailed lizards (Barten, 2006a).

Detailed explanation-2: -While many lineages of snakes and lizards are widely accepted to be venomous, the presence of toxic saliva in skinks (Family: Scincidae) is scientifically unsupported.

Detailed explanation-3: -Aside from legless lizards, most lizards are quadrupedal and move using gaits with alternating movement of the right and left limbs with substantial body bending. This body bending prevents significant respiration during movement, limiting their endurance, in a mechanism called Carrier’s constraint.

Detailed explanation-4: -Legless Lizard (Pseudopus apodus) Legless Lizards are also called European Glass Lizards or Scheltopusik (a Slavic word meaning “yellow belly”). They get the name “Glass Lizards” from their tails, which can not only be dropped but can also break into several smaller pieces, like shattered glass.