A Snake That is Not A Snake

Tina is one of our cats at our office in Pelican Perch. She is endlessly curious and always interested in what is going on in the yard. From time to time she will bring us a gift.…an animal from outside.

She seems to say, “Look what I found!” as her discoveries are laid gently at our feet like a kitten being returned to the litter.

One day Tina brought us a snake. Or, what looked like a snake. On closer inspection and after doing some research, here’s what we learned:

• Our snake is actually a glass lizard. This one was about two feet long. If you see a glass lizard in a sticky situation you will quickly understand where they got their name.

• Glass lizards have a defense mechanism when faced with danger. The lizard will release its tail and it will break off like …glasss! The bodiless tail will wiggle around and draw the attention of the predator while the tailless lizard stays motionless until the danger passes.

Tina’s glass lizard posed for a photo and then was safely returned to the wild where he will begin to grow a new tail.

Look at the picture and you’ll be able to tell this is a lizard and not a snake. How? Snakes do not have ear openings or movable eyelids. The eyelid is difficult to see here, but the ear opening is clearly visible, identifying him as a lizard.