Amphisbaenia

E537736

Amphisbaenia is a group of limbless or nearly limbless, burrowing reptiles often called worm lizards, known for their elongated bodies and subterranean lifestyle.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Amphisbaenia canonical 3
Amphisbaenidae 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf clade ⓘ
suborder ⓘ
bodyPlan head-first burrower morphology ⓘ
class Reptilia ⓘ
commonName worm lizards ⓘ
containsFamily Amphisbaenidae ⓘ
linked to: Amphisbaenia

Bipedidae ⓘ
Blanidae ⓘ
Rhineuridae ⓘ
Trogonophidae ⓘ
diet carnivorous ⓘ
distinguishedFrom snakes by skin and skull morphology ⓘ
typical lizards by limb reduction and burrowing specializations ⓘ
divergenceFromLizards distinct lineage within Squamata ⓘ
eats insects ⓘ
other invertebrates ⓘ
small vertebrates ⓘ
fossilRecord Cretaceous origin suggested by fossils ⓘ
geographicDistribution Africa ⓘ
Europe ⓘ
Middle East ⓘ
North America ⓘ
South America ⓘ
habitat deserts ⓘ
forest soils ⓘ
grasslands ⓘ
loose soils ⓘ
semiarid regions ⓘ
hasCharacteristic adaptation for moving through soil ⓘ
annulated body scales ⓘ
burrowing lifestyle ⓘ
elongated body ⓘ
fossorial behavior ⓘ
heavily ossified skull ⓘ
limbless or nearly limbless body ⓘ
reduced or absent limbs ⓘ
short tail ⓘ
skin loosely attached to body ⓘ
subterranean lifestyle ⓘ
tail that can resemble the head ⓘ
kingdom Animalia ⓘ
movementType concertina locomotion underground ⓘ
order Squamata ⓘ
phylum Chordata ⓘ
reproduction oviparous in most species ⓘ
some species viviparous ⓘ
sensoryAdaptation enhanced tactile senses ⓘ
reduced external ears ⓘ
reduced eyes ⓘ
reliance on chemosensory cues ⓘ
taxonRank suborder ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Squamata → containsSuborder → Amphisbaenia ⓘ
Squamata → hasSubclade → Amphisbaenia ⓘ
Amphisbaenia → containsFamily → Amphisbaenidae ⓘ
linked to: Amphisbaenia
Scincomorpha → includesTaxon → Amphisbaenia ⓘ