Reptile
Black and White Worm Lizard
Amphisbaena fuliginosa
The Black and white worm lizard is also known as speckled or spotted worm lizard but is locally known as "two headed snake". This species can easily be distinguished because of its white and black mosaic pattern that covers both the dorsal and ventral side. They have an elongated, cylindrical body with no limbs or outer ear. The eyes are highly reduced and are covered by a translucent scale. They
Description
The Black and white worm lizard is also known as speckled or spotted worm lizard but is locally known as "two headed snake". This species can easily be distinguished because of its white and black mosaic pattern that covers both the dorsal and ventral side. They have an elongated, cylindrical body with no limbs or outer ear. The eyes are highly reduced and are covered by a translucent scale. They have modified, compact skulls covered with a thick layer of keratin for digging. Their head is as wide as their body with a rounded snout hardly projecting over the mouth and a rounded, stubby tail tip. They are covered by scaly skin, with the scales arranged in rings (annules). The skin is loosely anchored to the underlying muscular layers and this allows an accordion-like motion adapted for moving in open air as well as for digging the soil. They have little to no eyesight and can detect prey by sensing vibrations by chemoreception, they also use their forked tongue to collect odors from the environment. They have no venom for killing or paralyzing prey and uses their powerful jaws and sharp interlocking teeth to easily tear apart prey. Mating occurs during the dry season. Unfortunately little is known about its reproduction. They are an oviparous (egg-laying) species that usually mates during the night. Females usually lay 1-4 elongated eggs on piles of leaves inside their tunnels or in ants or termites nest. When in danger the black and white worm lizard goes into a defensive position where it raises both its head and tail in an upward position and moves around its tail to confuse predators. This position creates the illusion that this species has two heads. The name "Amphisbaena" means a fabulous serpent having a head at each end of its body. It is a burrowing nocturnal species and spends most of its time underground.
Fun Facts
There are over 100 species of Amphisbaena world wide but only 2 species are found in Trinidad, the other being the Red Worm Lizard (Amphisbaena alba), and is the largest species in the world. Their tail can be lost as in lizards but the Black and White Worm Lizard cannot regenerate a new one.