Asked by: Srivatsa Gruene
Asked in category: pets, reptiles
Last Updated: 7th Jul 2024

This lizard is shaped like a snake.

Skinks



Which animal is most like a snake, then?

Lizards

What is the difference between a snake and a lizard? Although lizards and snakes are both members of the same reptilian group, they have many distinct characteristics. The first distinction is that lizards are equipped with legs, while snakes don't have legs. While lizards can move on four legs, snakes can move by turning their bodies and using the ventral scales.

This is why lizards appear to be snake-like.

The appearance of Eastern glass lizards, Ophisaurus ventralis, is that they resemble snakes because of their shiny, long legs and shiny bodies. They are different from snakes because they have visible ears openings, flexible eyeslids, and fixed jawbones. As they age, their coloration changes from light brown to a more greenish hue.

Can a lizard turn into a snake?

A phylogenetic analysis on body-form evolution in anguid Lizards shows how lizards become snakes. The most remarkable morphological change in vertebrate evolution involves the transformation from a lizard-like body form into an elongate, legless (snakelike), body form.