Impurest's Guide to Animals #19 - Sheltopusik

Once again we have another Friday release (due to work) and further schedule disruptions. As such next weeks animal blog will be released on Tuesday (the only day I’m not working as will the week after. But enough about that let’s get on with the blog. Last week the gluttonous Goonch Catfish was in the spotlight. This weeks animal is a very different animal indeed. Hope you guys enjoy.

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Issue #19 – Sheltopusik

Kingdom – Animalia

Phylum – Cordata

Class – Reptilia

Order – Squamata

Family – Anguidae

Genus – Pseudopus

Species – apodus

Related Species - There are fifteen ‘legless lizard’ found in the family Anguidae. Of these fifteen only two are found outside North America (1)

Range - The Sheltopusik is found across the Chaparral Eastern Europe into the Western Steppes of Asia. On its most northern and western parts of its range it overlaps with the smaller legless lizard; the Slowworm (Anguis fragilis)

Tail of Glass

The Sheltopusik or European Glass Lizard is a large serpentine lizard that reaches lengths between three and four foot long. Adult Sheltopusik are tan in colouration with a pale body while the juveniles possess dark brown bands to help them blend in with their grassland habitat/ While termed legless some Sheltopusik have tiny external hind legs (of around 2mm) although they do little to aid in locomotion (2). The easiest way to tell a Sheltopusik (or any legless lizard) from a snake is to look at its head. Legless lizard possesses ear openings and movable eyelids (allowing them to blink) something that not snake possess.

Sheltopusik are active hunters, and will move across their home range opportunistically eating anything they can fit in their mouths. The usual prey is slugs, worms and other invertebrates but they have also been recorded eating small mammals and nestling birds and eggs in the wild. The Sheltopusik itself is prey to eagles and foxes that it shares it’s habitat with. When attacked however, the Sheltopusik will mock strike and hiss loudly unlike other legless lizards. It will only drop its tail as a last result due to the length of time to grow a replacement (and usually inferior) organ (3).

Unlike the Slowworm, which gives birth to live young, the Sheltopusik is oviparous and lays eggs, often in a rocky crevice around ten weeks after mating. Once laid the female Sheltopusik will protect the eggs for around fifty days, where upon the young will hatch (4). Recently the Sheltopusik has become very popular with reptile keepers and can live up to fifty years in captivity.

Five Fun Sheltopusik Facts

The name Sheltopusik come from the Russian word желтопузик which refers to the lizard’s yellow coloured underside.

The name Glass Lizard on the other hand comes the fragility of both the Scheltopusik and Slowworm’s shed tails. Touching a dropped tail can cause it to shatter into separate pieces.

Like all legless lizards the Sheltopusik has a floating (albeit defunct) hip bone

Unlike other legless lizards the Sheltopusik can only drop its tail once.

Several Sheltopusik were seen in the ‘snake pit’ scene of Indiana Jones; Raiders of the Lost Ark

Bibliography

1 - www.arkive.org

2 - http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Reptile-Blog/Russ-Case/Scheltopusik-Pseudopus-Apodus-Legless-Lizard/

3 - http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/Facts/FactSheets/Europeanglasslizard.cfm

4 - http://www.reptilepark.com.au/animalprofile.asp?id=225

Picture References

1 - http://alcedowildlife.com/images/IMG_0707.jpg

2 - http://www.warf.nl/foto/artikelfoto_21.jpg

3 - http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/pic%5CS%5CC%5CScheltopusik%20(in%20grass).jpg

Thanks for reading guys; I hope you enjoyed the sneaky Sheltopusik and it’s (almost) legless antics. Make sure to drop me a comment and suggest an animal to be covered in future issues, and as usual you can check out past issues in Impurest’s Bestiary.

Many Thanks

Impurest Cheese

@cbishop, @laflux, @ostyo, @wildvine, @project_worm, @delphic, @samimista, @cattlebattle, @xwraith, @cgoodness, @joygirl, @knightsofdarkness2, @scorpion2501, @squares, @OverLordArhas, @darthaznable, @scattered316 and @warlock360

I'm snaking my way towards Issue 20

I could mistake it for a snake anytime of the day.

@OverLordArhas: At first even for an expert it can be hard to tell them apart. Thanks for the comment BTW

How aggressive is it?

Can it kill a human?

AWW YEAH! Now I just have to wait for the opportune time to show off my legless lizard knowledge... I can see it now.

"That ain't a snake! It's got ear holes and eyelids, you idiot!"

The day will come.

@impurestcheeseLearning it has a floating, defunct hip bone, is one fact that gave me the creeps about this legless lizard species, the name also contribute to this unsettling image I have of them...evolving, or, maybe in the eyes of some, devolving due to the species was trapped somewhere for a long time, maybe.

The hip bone that is still there but nolonger has a purpose. Like, how human tail eventually fade away in our evolution.

This one is interesting in it paints a picture of a larger scale of speculation on not just the species, for me anyway.

Can I assume that they have a harder time and are more limited compare to snakes?

"Nature always finds a way." A line I've gotten from some human-turned-cannibals movie, maybe. But it adds to the effect.

I'm liking this article very much.

One of my all-time favorite reptiles, by the way, for those who don't know, the little pink things in the second photo...aren't tiny legs.

@OverLordArhas: The Sheltopusik can bite but it has no venom and it's teeth aren't strong enough to do too much damage. It's relative the Slowworm (from personal experience) is actually one of the most inoffensive creatures in the world.

@project_worm: Totally. Viva Worm and the almighty Seltopusik

@deadite: The line is also from Jurassic Park. (Sub Nature for Life). Yep it is an analogue of the human coccyx. As for being limited compared to snakes...the answer is no. In fact in some areas the Sheltopusik takes on the role held by small snakes due to limited competition. And having a range from Croatia (in the west) to the Black Sea (in the East) is not limited. That said in areas of their range the legless lizard is persecuted heavily because a) it looks like a snake and b) they are more easily seen because they prefer open areas.

Hasnt reduced limbs appeared like 80 times seperately during squamate evolution?

Again very imformative.

@scattered316: Oops. That's an 'I haven't slept in five days' mistake...you are correct those are hemipenis. Editing soon

@laflux: Yes. Everything from early snakes and Mosasaurs to skinks and glass lizards have gone through a reduced or absent legs

@impurestcheese:

That is why it can be kept as pets.

Yeah slow-worms are nice :)

Wow your animal guide thing is all over the Off-Topic forums.

The Indiana Jones fact was so cool lol At least they weren't all rubber snakes ;)

I actually remember seeing one in the movie. And I could tell it was really a lizard.

@OverLordArhas: Yep they can be kept as pets

@laflux: Yep they are

@ssjdarthplagueis: It is. Sorry about that

@darthaznable: Yep, was running out of stuff to be honest

@xwraith: Great for you

Awwww, they're so cute!

@impurestcheese: Remember seeing Harrison Ford and Karen Allen play with those during a behind the scenes feature for the snake pit scene. It's funny, both actors weren't afraid like their characters, but actually Reptile fans in real life.

@ostyo: Irony thy name is Sheltopuisk

@squares: Yep they are cute

@impurestcheese: WOW! This is a lizard? 0.0 My goodness...I wouldn't of guessed. Hehe, to be honest I actually love snakes. xD I'd get one named Big Boss if I could!

@samimista: Snakes are great. Thanks for the comment

In the wild, that thing would resemble a mamba at first sight or a taipan. On a bad day, you would mistake them for this and Darwinism struck again lol

@warlock360: Luckily for both parties (human & lizard) the range of those venomous snakes don't overlap with the Sheltopusik

@impurestcheese: My aunt had a Banana spider pop out of a peel before, and they shouldn't be here either lol. Other animals also could escape from the Zoo, had a lot of those too.

@warlock360: True but the cold nights on the Steppes would kill a mamba or a taipan since neither species has a hibernation reflex

Looking at its head only, it appears as if double - deckered. If I came across one of these things I would have thought it was still in the process of gulping down its prey.

I never knew snakes haven't any eyelids. It's one of those things where once pointed out, feels like a person should have noticed before.

@hislolita: Yeah, geckos and skinks don't have eyelids either

@impurestcheese: Skinks don't have eyelids? That's...new. Are there exeptions?

@scattered316: A few skinks with legs can blink, the majority can't

0_o it looks like a messed up toy

@cgoodness: Poor Sheltopusik

I'm calling genetic experiment on this one.

@wildvine: Mean. What did Shelts do to deserve that

Also may not make Tuesday deadline for next issue due to work

Its forgot my birthday last year

@wildvine: right?

@impurestcheese:

Sorry. Weird mood I'm in.

@wildvine: S'all right