Anguidae

Slow Worm ( Anguis fragilis )

The Sneak ( Anguidae ) are a family in the class of reptiles ( Reptilia ), which comprises about 120 species in 13 genera. They come in Europe, Asia, North, Central and South America, and the West Indies.

Features

The Stealth are a diverse lizard family. There are both snake-like, legless species such as the European slow-worm, as well as elongated shapes whose legs have atrophied to little stubs and normal four-legged and five-toed species. For all crawl the scales are enhanced by bone plates.

Many species have a stretchable skin-fold at both sides of the body to facilitate the feeding or the breath. And in the development of the eggs it is useful. As with the genuine lizard 's tail breaks off easily. After a while he did not grow back, but in the original size. Have Stealth, unlike snakes, movable eyelids and external ear openings.

They have strong, in most cases studded with blunt molars jaw. Most crawl feed on hard-shelled insects and molluscs, other lizards and small mammals also. Only a few species give birth to live young. Most lay eggs.

System

The stealth -like be divided into three sub- family, 13 genera and about 120 species.

• Subfamily Anguinae Genus Anguis Linnaeus, 1758 Peloponnese Slow Worm ( Anguis cephallonica )
• Anguis colchica
• Greek blind worm (Anguis graeca )
• Slow Worm ( Anguis fragilis ) Linnaeus, 1758
• Anguis incomptus ( McConkey, 1955)
• Italian slow-worm ( Anguis Veronensis )

• Scheltopusik ( Pseudopus apodus )

• Genus Celestus Gray, 1839
• Genus Gallwespenschleichen ( Diploglossus ) Wiegmann, 1834
• Genus Ophiodes Wagler, 1828

• Genus Abronia Gray, 1838
• Genus Barisia Gray, 1838
• Genus Coloptychon
• Genus Elgaria Gray, 1838
• Genus Gerrhonotus Wiegmann, 1828
• Genus Mesaspis Cope, 1877

Fossil the crawl can be first detected in the Upper Cretaceous. In Geiseltal at Merseburg remains have been found of strong armored genera Glyptosaurus and Placosaurus.