User:Universal9449/Eastern glass lizard

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The eastern glass lizard (Ophisaurus ventralis) is a species of legless lizard in the family Anguidae and the longest and heaviest species of glass lizards in he genus Ophisaurus, endemic to the Southeastern United States. The streamlined, legless species is often confused with snakes. Glass lizards differ from snakes as they possess a moveable eyelid and an external ear opening as well as a lateral groove that separates the different types of scales on the animal, all three of these features are absent in snakes. Snakes also have flexible jaws while lizards do not. Ventralis comes from the Latin "venter" meaning belly; this is in reference to the snake-like movement.

Diet
O. ventralis are opportunistic feeders that will eat almost anything that may cross their path, including insects, small mammals, eggs, small birds and sometimes even fruits or vegetation. Example's of prey they may feed on are: grasshoppers, crickets and beetles, spiders, small mice, snails, and the eggs of other reptiles and ground-nesting birds. They rely on their sense of smell and sharp eyesight to hunt during the day. . Unlike snakes, glass lizards do not have flexible jaws, and this limits the size of prey items they can consume. They forage both above ground and underground in burrows.

Reproduction
O. ventralis is oviparous and lays around 5–15 eggs in late April to mid July. They eggs have an incubation time of 40-65 days and will tend to hatch around late summer. Eggs are usually laid under cover or in depressions in sandy or loamy soil. Females will encircle their clutch but may retreat when approached and generally do not defend their eggs. However, they will gather them back up if they are scattered around.