Reptiles of North Carolina

Scientific Name:	Common Name:		Family (Alpha):

NC Records
Anguidae Members:
Ophisaurus ventralis - Eastern Glass Lizard

Photo: S. Bland

Photo: E. Hofmann, K. Weinfurther

Taxonomy

Class: Reptilia

Order: Squamata

Family: Anguidae

Subfamily: Anguinae


Taxonomic Comments: Ophisaurus is a genus of legless lizards found in both North America and Southeast Asia, with four species occurring north of Mexico (SSAR, 2016) and three found in North Carolina. Although snake-like in appearance, Glass Lizards have movable eyelids, external ear openings, and small scales on the belly, all of which are absent in snakes. Also unlike snakes, their tails can break off when an individual is attacked by a predator and can later regenerate them over time.
Species Comments:

Identification

Description: This species is distinctively marked and good quality photographs showing the head, dorsal and lateral surfaces of the body are usually sufficient to identify this species.

Field Marks: Eastern Glass Lizards range in color from dark brown to greenish- or yellowish-brown. Their dorsal surface lacks the dark brown mid-dorsal line usually found in Slender and Mimic Glass Lizards but may have a pattern consisting of several dark lines, or may lack any contrasting markings. They also lack the dark lines or spots below the lateral line that are found in the Slender Glass Lizard (Palmer and Braswell, 1995). Adult males are often a dark, greenish-brown with yellow-edged scales giving it a strongly speckled appearance (Gibbons et al., 2009). Juveniles are pale yellowish-brown with

Morphological Features: As in the Slender Glass Lizard but not the Mimic Glass Lizard, the supralabial scales are usually separated from the eye (including the small scales on the eyelids) by a row of enlarged lorilabial scales (see Palmer and Braswell, 1995, for details on the scalation). In North Carolina specimens examined by Palmer and Braswell (1995) the maximum head-body lengths are as follows: 11.6" (295 mm), males; 8.7" (222 mm), females. Slender Glass Lizards can be even longer but are, as the name implies, slenderer in appearance.

Online Photos: Google iNaturalist GBIF

Observation Methods: Eastern Glass Lizards can be found active during the day or under coverboard transects, as well as sampled using drift fences. They also can be found active on roads between habitats.

Distribution in North Carolina

County Map: Clicking on a county returns the records for the species in that county.

Key Habitat Requirements

Habitat: Eastern Glass Lizards occur in both wet-mesic forest, shrublands, and maritime dune habitats. They also occur in vacant fields and marsh edges (Palmer and Braswell, 1995; Beane et al., 2010).

Life History and Autecology

Breeding and Courtship: Size at maturity is not known for this species, and outside of incidental records, general reproductive and breeding studies are similarly lacking. Mating likely occurs primarily in the spring, but only a March record is known from North Carolina (Palmer and Braswell, 1995). Nests have been located in sawdust piles, clumps of grass, and rotten pine stumps/logs.

Reproductive Mode: Eastern Glass Lizards are oviparous and likely lay eggs in summer (June/July) that hatch in later summer or early fall, as suggested by Palmer and Braswell (1995). Seventeen clutches reported by Palmer and Braswell (1995) averaged 9 white, ovoid eggs approximately 21 mm long x 14 mm wide. Females will attend their clutch if undisturbed.

Hatchlings average 5.9 cm snout-to-vent length, with total lengths averaging 16.9 cm (Palmer and Braswell, 1995).

Terrestrial Life History: Eastern Glass Lizards are often found under cover objects during the day or active on the surface. They are primarily diurnal, but crepuscular and nocturnal activity is known. As in other Ophisaurus species, males appear to be more active than females, leading to biases in specimen records favoring males. Though terrestrial, Eastern Glass Lizards have been found in and near brackish water, tidal wracks, and in pools, and seem to prefer damp environments. Eastern Glass Lizards have been recorded in North Carolina in every month, but activity appears to peak in late spring/early summer (April–June) and again in early fall (September–October).

Home range estimates are not known for this species.

General Ecology

Adverse Environmental Impacts

Status in North Carolina

NHP State Rank: S5

Global Rank: G5

Photo Gallery for Ophisaurus ventralis - Eastern Glass Lizard		33 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.
	Recorded by: Wade Abbott Currituck Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Wade Abbott Currituck Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: L. Eckart Carteret Co. Comment:	Recorded by: C. Teague Beaufort Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: M.Windsor Onslow Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Erich Hofmann and Kayla Weinfurther New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Erich Hofmann and Kayla Weinfurther New Hanover Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Erich Hofmann and Kayla Weinfurther Craven Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Erich Hofmann Craven Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Erich Hofmann Craven Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Erich Hofmann Craven Co. Comment:	Recorded by: D. Crilley Robeson Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Erich Hofmann and Kayla Weinfurther Craven Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Mark Shields Pender Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: M. Teague Moore Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Erich Hofmann Craven Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: G. Johnson & P. Terry Carteret Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Erich Hofmann and Allegra Hodges Pamlico Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: M. Gosselin Dare Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Steve Hall Moore Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Steve Hall Moore Co. Comment:	Recorded by: John Osbourne, Ned Reynolds, Chris Helms Columbus Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: K. Bischof Beaufort Co. Comment:	Recorded by: K. Bischof Beaufort Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: S. Bland Onslow Co. Comment:	Recorded by: S. Bland Onslow Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: T. Taylor New Hanover Co. Comment:	Recorded by: T. Taylor New Hanover Co. Comment:
	Recorded by: Newman, Randy Carteret Co. Comment:	Recorded by: Newman, Randy Carteret Co. Comment: Three ticks are attached to this specimen

Ophisaurus ventralis - Eastern Glass Lizard

Photo Gallery for Ophisaurus ventralis - Eastern Glass Lizard

33 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown.