Pygopodidae

Pygopodidae

[‚pī·gə′päd·ə‚dē]

(vertebrate zoology)

The flap-footed lizards, a family of the suborder Sauria.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Pygopodidae

 

a family of reptiles of the order Sauria. The snakelike body reaches 80 cm in length. The front extremities are not developed, and the back extremities resemble small fins covered with scales; they are practically unnoticeable in some species. The tail is very long. The eyes are small, with vertical pupils. The eyelids have fused into a transparent membrane.

The Pygopodidae embrace eight genera, with approximately 30 species. The lizards are distributed mainly in Australia, as well as in New Guinea and neighboring islands. They are primarily nocturnal and usually live in tall grasses. They feed on insects and other invertebrates.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.