What is this please???

[Fiona74]

A friend of a friend found this in her house last night / this morning and it is now in a small plastic tub. Sorry there is no head shot, that is the photo they sent to my phone. Is it a legless lizard?

They are in South Australia. I also have video if you want.

Thanks

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Apparently it is only about 15cm long.

 

[Vegez]

Definitely a legless lizard, looks like Aprasia striolata.

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Yes this appears to be a Legless Lizard (part of the gecko group), those line marking are generally pretty distinctive in that part of the world of Aprasia striolata (which can also be nearly pattern-less, but nothing else I know of can be as strikingly patterned). Please put the video up as well to confirm the ID, without a headshot or a more precise location I'd say my ID is 70% at best, even though it seems such an obvious ID... it's just best not to rush into ID's without all the info.

 

[Justdragons]

I have no idea but it kind of looks more legless lizard rather than snake.. and being here in SA we dont get much more than elapids so thats my uneducated guess. lol

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lol i click post,, no comments. I comment, 2 posts lol.

 

[Fiona74]

Ok well I googled legless lizards in SA and the picture matches the 'lined worm lizard' found in the York Peninsula. So I called my friend back and told her this and turns out her friend was in the York Peninsula 2 weeks ago (camping or whatever) so very likely she has a stow away.

She is going to call her local wildlife rescue and see if it can be returned. Assuming that's what it is of course. But it seems too coincidental with the similarities in appearance and where she was 2 weeks ago to be anything else.

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And the video really isn't that clear.

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Ok well I googled legless lizards in SA and the picture matches the 'lined worm lizard' found in the York Peninsula. So I called my friend back and told her this and turns out her friend was in the York Peninsula 2 weeks ago (camping or whatever) so very likely she has a stow away.

She is going to call her local wildlife rescue and see if it can be returned. Assuming that's what it is of course. But it seems too coincidental with the similarities in appearance and where she was 2 weeks ago to be anything else.

Can you please tell where she was WHEN she found it. I highly doubt this would be a stowaway unless the person coming back from the York Peninsula was bringing back amounts of soil and or detrital material. The lined legless lizard (Aprasia striolata) has a much larger distribution than the York Peninsula, it runs from about a third of the way along the bite right along the bottom of SA and about a third away along the south coast of Victoria, including going substantially inland almost to NSW in the Eastern part of its range. It can be found within the actual city of Adelaide.....

I don't care if the video is clear, neither is the picture.

 

[Bluetongue1]

We don’t have any naturally occurring snakes that have those sorts of stripes the entire length of the body. It is too long to be any of the skinks. The only pygopod with that distinctive patterning is Aprasia striolata.

They are not solely confined to the Eyre Peninsular, but occur right across that band of SA, from around Ceduna all the way across to western Victoria.

Blue

 

[Fiona74]

Can you please tell where she was WHEN she found it. I highly doubt this would be a stowaway unless the person coming back from the York Peninsula was bringing back amounts of soil and or detrital material. The lined legless lizard (Aprasia striolata) has a much larger distribution than the York Peninsula, it runs from about a third of the way along the bite right along the bottom of SA and about a third away along the south coast of Victoria, including going substantially inland almost to NSW in the Eastern part of its range. It can be found within the actual city of Adelaide.....

I don't care if the video is clear, neither is the picture.

She lives in the city of Adelaide and apparently she was camping in the YP and only unpacked the camping gear last night that had been sitting in her lounge room until then. Then she saw it crawling around sometime later. And when I googled legless lizards in SA I matched it to the same photo that also comes up when I google Aprasia striolata. So I think you are all right in your ID's.

So if that's the case GeckPhotographer would she be ok to release it in a suitable area herself?

And it seems I can only upload a video if it's through You Tube? Can I not do it straight from my laptop file?

 

[Tablemanners]

Looks like a legless lizard. Im no expert so couldn't tell you the type but im 99% sure its not a snake.

 

[GeckPhotographer]

The only pygopod with that distinctive patterning is Aprasia striolata.

I've seen pictures of Burtons with very similar striping, if I can find them again, I'll post.

So if that's the case GeckPhotographer would she be ok to release it in a suitable area herself?

Hard to say, I don't think it's likely for an Aprasia to hitch hike, but then it's also unlikely they come inside. Anyway they certainly occur in Adelaide.

 

[eipper]

Aprasia striolata, contact your local parks office and hand it in to them

 

[borntobnude]

without my glasses on i thought it was a GLAD container
glasses on OH there it is