Sheltopusik

Pseudopus apodus

Sheltopusik

“ Lizards of every temper, style, and color dwell here, seemingly as happy and companionable as the birds and squirrels. ”

– John Muir

Scientific Taxonomy & Character Information

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Squamata

Family: Anguidae

Genus: Pseudopus

Species: Pseudopus apodus

Subspecies: 

Descendant: Pseudopus?

Named by: Peter Simon Pallas

Year Published: 1775

Size: 135 cm (4.43 ft) in length; 300 - 450 g in weight

Type: Reptiles (Legless Lizards)

Title: 

Alias: 

Pantheon: Terran/Gaian

Time Period:  Early Miocene–Holocene

Alignment: Docile

Threat Level: ★

Diet: Insectivorous/Carnivorous 🥩🥓🪲

Elements: Normal, rock

Inflicts: n/a

Weaknesses: Combat

Casualties: n/a

Based On: itself

Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC) – IUCN Red List

The sheltopusik (Pseudopus apodus), also commonly called Pallas's glass lizard, the European legless lizard, or the European glass lizard, is a species of large glass lizard found from Southern Europe to Central Asia.

Etymology

The common name "sheltopusik" comes from Russian: желтопузик (zheltopuzik/želtopuzik), which translates most directly as "yellow-bellied".

Physical Appearance

The sheltopusik can grow up to 135 cm (4.43 ft) in length. It has a brown color that is paler on the ventral surface and the head. It has a segmented, ring-like appearance that resembles a big earthworm, and it has lateral grooves, which are distinguishing folds of skin down either side. Occasionally, tiny (2-mm) back legs can be seen close to the cloaca. The ears, eyelids, and ventral scales of the sheltopusik readily identify it from a snake, even if the legs are hardly noticeable.

Abilities

The European glass lizard might think that breaking through the shells of snails is an especially easy task due to their teeth and jaw structure. The sheltopusik, because of its size, usually reacts to provocation by biting, musking, and hissing. Comparatively speaking to certain other species that exhibit caudal autotomy, it is less likely to lose its tail. But it is because of these sporadic instances of caudal autotomy that the term "glass lizard" (or "glass snake") originated. The idea that the lizard can shatter like glass and then reconstruct itself stems from the possibility that its unleashed tail will break into pieces. In actuality, a missing tail regrows gradually but takes on a shorter, darker appearance. After a long while, the new tail could grow back to its full length.

Ecology

This species is found in dry, well vegetated rocky slopes, marquis, traditionally cultivated areas, and close to human settlements. In Iran, it has been collected in open grassy areas. It occurs in foothill plains and valleys of river, inhabited sparse deciduous forests, tugay-bushes, shrubs, hollows, woodland edges and foothills. Animals may be found hiding under bushes, among stones or in rodent burrows. It is common in gardens, vineyards and is sometimes found in agricultural land. The female lays between six and ten eggs in a clutch between mid-June and the beginning of July. It reaches sexual maturity in four years; in Crimea 4-13 eggs are laid in a clutch, with animals reaching maturity in 3-4 years.

Behavior

Passive and defensive.

Distribution and Habitat

The sheltopusik inhabits open country, such as short grassland or sparsely wooded hills in Eurasia.


This widespread species ranges eastwards from the Balkan region of Europe to Turkey, the Caucasus region, Central Asia and the Levant. From the Balkans it has been recorded along the Adriatic regions of Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania (where it is common only in coastal areas), southern Macedonia (through the Vardar valley to the vicinity of Skopje), most of Greece (including the Ionian Islands and the islands of Limnos, Rhodes, Lesbos, Chios, Ikaria and Samos) and southern and eastern Bulgaria. It also occurs in southern Ukraine, southwestern Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, Turkey (in the west, north and south), western Syria, throughout Lebanon, northern Israel, northwest Jordan, Iraq, Iran (restricted to the Caspian region, northern Zagros, the Alborz and Kopet Dagh), and into Central Asia where it is present in southern Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, southern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, western Tajikistan and Afghanistan.


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