Family: Anniellidae, Legless Lizards view all from this family
Description 6-9 1/4" (15.2-23.5 cm). Shiny legless lizard with eyelids but without external ear openings. Usually silvery or tan; dark stripe down middle of back, dark striping on sides. Back sometimes completely dark. Belly yellow.
Subspecies Silvery (A. p. pulchra), silvery above; San Francisco Bay south through w. California into n. Baja California. Black (A. p. nigra), adults dark brown to black above; found only on California coast from Monterey Bay to Morro Bay.
Breeding Mates May to June. Litters of 1-4 young (average 2) are born alive, September to November.
Habitat Areas of loose soil: sandy loam, sand dunes, gravelly banks of streams. Prefers some vegetation, can be found in leaf litter.
Range W. California from San Francisco Bay south into Baja California.
Discussion Nocturnal. Its small smooth scales and blunt tail make burrowing easy for this lizard. Most of its time is spent under the surface of the soil or beneath leaf litter, where it pursues small insects and insect larvae. Use of pesticides on agricultural lands has decimated some populations.
