Nature Note: The Eastern Slender Glass Lizard
By Seth Bishop

When most people see a lizard, they generally don’t cringe or lose control of their bodily functions like they might when they see a snake. The lizards of Kentucky are small and completely harmless, so they usually don’t end up under the business end of a hoe or shovel like their reptilian relatives often do. Many people even think they’re cute or humorous, and hey, at least they have legs, right? Yep, it’s not bad to be a lizard here in the great state of Kentucky.

But try telling that to the Eastern Slender Glass lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus longicaudus), and it may have a different opinion. That’s because the glass lizard looks more like a snake than a lizard. First of all, it lacks legs, so right off the bat it’s considered to be a snake by most people. It can get long (up to 42 inches), is covered with scales, and even slithers on the ground like a snake. So it’s no wonder that the glass lizard is often met with the same response as its snake cousins: AHHH SNAKE! (Here comes the giant stick to the head) DIE! DIE! DIE!

However, if you take the time to look at your “snake” before you whack it to death, you may be able to tell if it is actually a snake or not. Glass lizards have two things that snakes do not: eyelids and external ear openings. So if the animal you are beating winces in pain by closing its eye, please don’t continue to whack it.

If you do see a glass lizard, rest assured that it won’t cut you in any way. In fact, it gets its name because the tail can break off into several pieces, thus “shattering” like glass. Contrary to folklore, these pieces cannot grow back together and reattach to the lizard’s body like the bad guy in Terminator 2. However, the lizard will grow a new tail that is solid brown and looks different than the original tail.

Glass lizards can be found in most counties along the I-65 corridor, as well as McCreary and Whitley Counties. They prefer open woods and grassy areas, and may occasionally be seen in a pasture or crop field. They spend a lot of time underground and try to avoid people, and often move quickly in the opposite direction. So if you do see one of these amazing lizards, consider yourself lucky, and remember, “Closed eyes and an ear, not a snake, do not fear.”

Seth Bishop is a biologist with Kentucky’s Touchstone Energy Cooperatives