Eastern hooded scaly-foot facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Eastern hooded scaly-foot |
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|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Pygopus
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| Species: |
schraderi
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The eastern hooded scaly-foot (Pygopus schraderi) is a unique type of flap-footed lizard. You can find it in the heaths and spinifex grasslands of mainland Australia. People sometimes confuse these lizards with snakes because they don't have front legs. They are also sometimes kept as pets.
Contents
About Scaly-Foot Lizards
The Pygopod Family
The Pygopod family includes 41 different kinds of lizards. You can only find them in Australia and New Guinea. They mostly live in dry, open areas across Australia.
Pygopods are also called 'legless lizards'. They move by wiggling their bodies and tails from side to side. They don't have front legs. They do have tiny back legs that look like small flaps of skin. These flaps usually lie flat against their body.
It's easy to tell Pygopods apart from snakes. Pygopods have wide, fleshy tongues and ear openings, which snakes don't have. Their tails are also very long, sometimes four times longer than their body! They can even break off their tails if they feel threatened. Also, the scales on their bellies are the same size as the scales next to them. Most snakes have one row of much larger belly scales.
Even though they look like snakes, Pygopods are actually closely related to geckos. Scientists even think they might be part of the same family. Both Pygopods and geckos have similar skulls and inner ears. They both make a 'squeak' sound. They also both lay two soft-shelled eggs at a time. Plus, both can lick their clear eyes clean, as they don't have eyelids.
The Pygopus Group
There are five species in the Pygopus group. These include the common scaly-foot, the western hooded scaly-foot, Roberts’ scaly-foot, the eastern hooded scaly-foot, and the northern hooded scaly-foot.
All five Pygopus species are large and strong. They have rounded snouts and clear ear openings. Their scales can be smooth or ridged. They also have long tails and large, well-developed leg-flaps. It can be tricky to tell them apart. Scientists often look at their ridged scales or how their nostril connects to their upper lip.
Other Names for Pygopods
Pygopods are also known as snake lizards or flap-footed lizards.
Why the Name "Hooded"?
The eastern hooded scaly-foot gets its common name from the dark, matching scales on its head. These scales make it look like it's wearing a 'hood'.
The scientific name, schraderi, was given by the scientist Boulenger in 1913. He named it after a Mr. P. Schrader, who owned the first specimen of this lizard that scientists studied.
What Does it Look Like?
The eastern hooded scaly-foot is the second smallest species in the Pygopus group. It can grow up to 47.5 centimeters (about 1.5 feet) long. Females are usually larger than males. Their tails are very long, making up more than three-quarters of their total length. However, if they feel in danger, they can drop their tail. They can then grow a new one, which might be shorter. A new tail will look different, with a sudden change in pattern and scales.
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These lizards can be reddish-brown to pale grey on their upper body. Their underside is usually whitish. The dark brown or black scales on their head create a 'hooded' look. These head markings look a lot like those of young brown snakes. This might help them avoid predators, or it might help them control their body temperature.
Their body scales might have dark edges, forming a net-like pattern. Sometimes, lighter and darker scales create irregular V-shaped bands or broken lines, especially on their sides. These markings are still there in older lizards, but they might be fainter. Their scales are ridged, with 21 to 25 rows of scales around the middle of their body. The eastern hooded scaly-foot has fewer than 120 belly scales, which are wider than the scales next to them. Its nostril also connects to its first upper lip scale.
Where Do They Live?
The eastern hooded scaly-foot lives in inland New South Wales, Victoria, eastern South Australia, inland Queensland, and parts of the Northern Territory.
They prefer dry areas like stony plains, dry woodlands, dry mallee forests, mulga scrubs, and spinifex grasslands. They like stony and heavy soils. These lizards need large, connected areas to live in. They can't recover quickly from a lot of activity. So, they often hide in soil cracks, grass, under debris, or in large burrows to stay safe from predators.
In New South Wales, they are rare in the Murray Catchment area. But they can be found in native grasslands and woodlands, especially near the Murrumbidgee Catchment.
In Victoria, they are rarely seen. They are known to live in only six places, including Terrick Terrick National Park, Korrack Korrack grasslands, and areas west of Mildura like Lake Ranfurly and Ned’s Corner Station.
How Do They Behave?
Scientists don't know a lot about the eastern hooded scaly-foot's daily life. However, research shows they are mostly active at night. But some populations in southern Victoria have been seen active during the day. They are also thought to be inactive during winter. They are usually found alone, but sometimes groups are seen, perhaps when they are breeding.
Mimicking snakes is a key way this lizard survives. To scare off animals that might eat them, the eastern hooded scaly-foot will raise its head and flick its tongue. This makes it look like a venomous snake. Sadly, this trick works so well that people often mistake these harmless lizards for dangerous snakes and kill them. If you pick one up, it will struggle fiercely, twisting its body and making loud, harsh squeaking sounds. They also make these sounds when they interact with other lizards.
Eastern hooded scaly-foots have been seen digging tunnels in soft soil. They use their mouths to remove soil and rotate their bodies to make the tunnel wider. This digging might help them find insects to eat.
In zoos or homes, scaly-foots have lived for up to 7 years. But we don't know how long they live in the wild.
Who Hunts Them?
Animals that hunt the eastern hooded scaly-foot include raptors (like eagles), goannas, wild cats, foxes, and elapid snakes.
What Do They Eat?
The eastern hooded scaly-foot doesn't need a lot of food or water. They mostly eat spiders and other insects that move on the ground. They also eat spider egg sacks and scorpions. These lizards actively search for their food. Once they catch something, they disable and crush it by quickly spinning their body. Their teeth are blunt and rounded, and they are strongly attached to their jawbone.
How Do They Reproduce?
The eastern hooded scaly-foot lays eggs. This means it is oviparous. They lay a clutch of two eggs once a year, usually in spring or early summer, between August and March. Sometimes they lay one or three eggs. Pregnant females have been found in January and February. The eggs hatch after 66 to 77 days. Different Pygopus species have been known to lay their eggs together in one spot.
In captivity, people haven't seen many courtship or mating displays. Males will follow the female, flicking their tongue many times. Males have special spine-like scales and hind-limb 'flaps' called pelvic spurs. These are thought to help the male grip the female during mating.
Keeping Them as Pets
Pygopods are easy to care for in captivity and are very popular pets. However, they are hard to find because they don't breed easily in captivity. In Australia, you need a special license to keep this species as a pet.
Protecting Them
The eastern hooded scaly-foot has not yet been fully checked for the IUCN Red List, which lists endangered species worldwide. However, it is listed as 'threatened' in Australia under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988. In Victoria, it is even listed as 'critically endangered'.
Here are some things that threaten the eastern hooded scaly-foot:
- Climate change affecting how their sex is determined.
- Losing their homes and their homes becoming damaged.
- People mistaking them for snakes and killing them.
- More predators because their habitat has changed.
- Predators like foxes and wild cats.
- Wrong or harmful fire regimes (how often and intensely fires happen).
- Bad advice and planning for their protection.
In Victoria, the Mallee CMA (Catchment Management Authority) is working on projects to learn more about the eastern hooded scaly-foot. The Mallee CMA wants to:
- Control harmful plants and stop weeds from growing in their habitat.
- Control pest animals in their habitat.
- Reduce grazing by putting fences around areas of plants.
- Reduce the use of bug sprays in areas where scaly-foots live.
