. The Cambridge natural history. Zoology. ANELYTROPID AE AMPHISBAENTDAE 565 tail with a narrow, brown, median line. Total length, 7 to 8 inches. Fam. 17. Amphisbaenidae.—Worm-shaped lizards with the soft skin forming numerous rings, each of which is divided into many little squares, the vestiges of scales which are otherwise restricted to the head. The eyes and ears are concealed. Limbs are absent except in Chirotes, which has short four-clawed fore- limbs. The pectoral arch, and still more so the pelvic arch, are reduced to minute vestiges. The tail is very short. The skull is small, compact,
. The Cambridge natural history. Zoology. ANELYTROPID AE AMPHISBAENTDAE 565 tail with a narrow, brown, median line. Total length, 7 to 8 inches. Fam. 17. Amphisbaenidae.—Worm-shaped lizards with the soft skin forming numerous rings, each of which is divided into many little squares, the vestiges of scales which are otherwise restricted to the head. The eyes and ears are concealed. Limbs are absent except in Chirotes, which has short four-clawed fore- limbs. The pectoral arch, and still more so the pelvic arch, are reduced to minute vestiges. The tail is very short. The skull is small, compact, and strongly ossified, in adaptation to the burrowing life, and is devoid of postorbital and postfronto- squamosal arches and of columellae. The teeth are either acrodont 8. IH amphisbaenidae:. Fig. 147.—Map showing the distribution of Ampliisbaenidae. or pleurodont. The tongue is slightly elongated, covered with scale-like papillae, and bifurcates into two long and narrow smooth points. The Amphisbaenas lead an entirely subterranean, burrowing life, like earth-worms. They are frequently found in ants' nests or in manure-heaps. Their progression is very worm-like, their annulated soft skin enabling them to make almost peristaltic motions and to move backwards as well as forwards. They crawl in a straight line, with slight vertical waves, not, like other Hmbless lizards or snakes, by lateral undulations. The food consists of worms and small insects. About one dozen genera with more than sixty species are known, most of which inhabit the warmer parts of America, the West Indies, and Africa. Four inhabit Mediterranean Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Harmer, S. F. (Sidney Frederic), Sir, 1862- ed; Shipley, A. E. (Arthur Everett), Sir, 1861-1927. ed. [London, Macmillan and Co. , L
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectzoology, bookyear1895
