European Glass Lizard
Basic Information:
Scientific Name: Ophisaurus
Habitat: Glass lizards can be found in the grasslands and wooded hills of Southeastern Europe, Southwestern Asia, predominantly in Russia.
Diet: Glass lizards are carnivorous and eat snails, mice, worms, bird eggs, and baby birds.
Size: 1.5 to 3.6 feet long
Weight: 0.7 to 1.3 pounds
Lifespan: 10 years in the wild. Up to 30 years in human care.
Distribution Map:
I.U.C.N. Conservation Status:
What does this mean?
Least Concern – a species determined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (I.U.C.N.) to be pervasive, abundant, and thriving.
Our European Glass Lizards:
Plexi (Male) – Estimated Date of Birth Between 1994 & 2004
Glimmer – Estimated Date of Birth Between 2009 & 2011
Did You Know?!
- Despite their appearance glass lizards differ from snakes in that they have moveable eyelids, external ear openings, and inflexible jaws.
- Glass lizards are a burrowing species, which their lack of limbs helps with.
- Interestingly, 50% of European glass lizards will lay eggs while the other half will give birth to live babies.
- European glass lizards are capable of dropping their tail, but less likely to than other species because of the length of their tails.
- Glass lizards are most active after rainfall due to the abundance of worms and other snacks.
- Glass lizards can swim!
- Glass lizards are not threatened, but deforestation could prove a threat to their population.