Mexican Mole Lizard: Adorable Pokemon-Snake-Worm-Thing Creature!

Continuing my strange animals series, I have decided to share with you steemians one of the cutest & weirdest critters I happen to know. 

A creature that looks more like a pokemon-worm-lizard-kind-of-thing rather than an actual animal! Allow me to present you the..

Mexican Mole Lizard

Is it a snake? An earthworm? A lizard? A genetic experiment gone wrong? Nobody knows! Nah, just kidding! The correct answer is c), a lizard! A legless one that is!

Scientifically described as Bipes biporus and also known as the five-toed worm lizard, the mexican mole lizard belongs to a group of worm-like lizards called Amphisbaenia. As a side note, although superficially similar to snakes, the Amphisbaenia are most closely related to true lizards. The Amphisbaenia are comprised of more than 180 species, all  legless except Bipes biporus and three other species

Now, let's learn more about this adorable creature! But first, here's a cool photo!

Mexican Mole Lizard In All It's Glory (credit)

Where can I find one?

The species can only be found in one place, the Baja California peninsula of Mexico, with their habitat ranging from the extreme southwestern Baja California State through western Baja California Sur, to the Isthmus of La Paz and the western Cape Region.

Tell me more about it!

They are pink, small and worm-like lizards, with adults reaching a length of approximately 18–24 cm (7.1–9.4 in) from snout to vent and 6–7 mm (0.24–0.28 in) in width. As you can see in the photos provided, their skin is closely segmented with a corrugated, earthworm like appearance. Some specimens have a somewhat whitish belly but I couldn't find a photo to show you. So, just take my word for this. Ok? 

The species doesn't exhibit sexual dimorphism, so males and females look pretty much the same. Pff...sounds boring...

The forelegs are strong and paddle-like, while the back legs have disappeared over time, leaving behind only vestigial bones that are visible with X-rays. Much like the human tail bone!

Although  hard to distinguish, the species does have a tail that starts from the vent (fancy name for lizard anus). The tail is usually about 1/10 of their total length, on average about 2 cm. 

Close Up (Credit)

Speaking of tails.... Does it come of?

Like other lizards, the mexican mole lizard is capable of tail-shedding. In case you don't know why, by deliberately sacrificing their own tail, lizards can free themselves or distract potential attackers. I actually learned that the hard way when I was a kid and grabbed one by its tail.. Imagine my disappointment! 

Unfortunately, unlike regular lizards, the poor naked mole lizard can't regenerate its' tail. He only gets to have one during its lifetime :(  

How does it move?

When underground, the mexican mole lizard doesn't only look like an earthworm. It also moves like one, using peristalsis of the segments.

How long does it live?

These poor critters get to enjoy life for only one to two years :( 

How does it spend the day?

Well, you know the drill. Breakfast, work, lunch, and some partying with tequilas later in the night.. Nah, not really..

They are fossorial (burrowing) animals and spend most of their lives below the surface. The few times they surface is usually on the night, either after a heavy rain or when they come out to hunt. In the morning, they prefer to chill in shallow tunnels only to go deeper in the earth as the temperature rises.  These tunnels range from 1 to about 6 inches deep.

When given the option, they prefer to hang out in sandy soils around the roots of mesquite shrubs. 

If you get lucky, you might also find one under a rock, a pile of leaves or some other similar hiding spot. But try to be a stealthy as possible. They are shy creature that burrow instantly when spotting a potential threat, including two legged giants that all they want to do is pet them!!!! 

Another close up (credit)

What does it eat?

The species is an opportunist carnivore (sounds fancy, doesn't it?!) and a generalist predator. In simple words, it eats anything that is smaller and weaker than itself, including but not limited to:

• Ants
• Termites
• Ground dwelling insects and larvae
• Earthworms 
• Other small animals like.. smaller than them lizards!

From the above, ants and termites are their primary source of food.

Does it have any enemies?

Since they spend most of their life undergroud it is assumed that their only natural enemy are snakes, which can enter and navigate their underground burrow systems.

How does it reproduce?

Like all lizards they lay eggs. Not much is known about their mating habits, but breeding probably takes place underground and the eggs (one to four) are laid in July. Two months later, tiny cute babies begin to hatch. 

Please human! HALP!!! PLEASE UNTIE!! (credit)

Please don't tell me this beautiful creature is threatened or something?!?!

I won't! For now and the foreseeable future, the species doesn't appear to be seriously threatened and the IUCN has it listed under as of "Least Concern". Furthermore, a large part of its habitat falls under the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve as well as other protected areas, so this little guy will always have a place to hide from human activity. 

In the non-protected areas there are some small threats. Thankfully, these threats only have a minor effect on the population due to the species' burrowing lifestyle. These threats are mainly agriculture-related activities and illegal pet trade, although there are some reported cases of individuals being killed on spot because they were thought to be snakes! I really don't get how someone in his right mind could kill such a cute creature.....

Video

I will close today's post with a beautiful video from National Geographic, that shows this beautiful creature in action:

Extra: The other Bipes Species

Ok, I lied. The post is not over yet. The mexican mole lizard belongs to the Bipes genus which contains three more species, B. alvarezi, B. canaliculatus and B. tridactylus. It would be a shame if I didn't give them a mention :)

All four of them look pretty similar, with the main difference being in the size and the number of their digits.

Here are two videos of two Bipes canaliculatus individuals that were unlucky enough to fall in the hands of humans. Hopefully, all of them were released back to their home:

And here's a video of again the same species, where the cameraman showed some respect and gave the creature some space:

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any photos or videos of the species. Leave a comment if you find any!

References & Further Reading

• Wikipedia 
• Eol
• Reptile Database
•  Oldest known amphisbaenian from the Upper Cretaceous of Chinese Inner Mongolia
   

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More Strange Animals To Come 
I will be posting one new strange animal each and every day so if you enjoyed this post make sure to follow me and let's discover together some of the world's most strange and bizarre creatures! An upvote and resteem would be nice too :P In the meantime, you may want to check out these 5 Solar-Powered animals, learn how many legs the world's leggiest creature has and discover the world's largest one-cell organism!