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Project Noah Nature School
Bachia trisanale trisanale
Bachia t.trisanale is a small (10 cm) lizard, although many think it is a snake. It has a dark brown head. The dorsum is light brown with 2-3 dark brown/black lines from the back of the heat to the tail. The sides and venter are dark brown/black. The unique feature of this lizard is the pair of stubby forelegs (foto #4). It looks like it may be a first for PN.
This lizard is found in the Amazon jungles of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. It is a fossorial lizard (largely underground, but not exclusively), but can also be found in leaf litter on the jungle floor or under rotting logs where it often finds its food which consists largely of earthworms and the larvae of arthropods. This one was found under a rotting log in the Amazon rainforest of SE Ecuador.
They are very hard to photograph once disturbed. They will twist and flip themselves all over, literally throwing themselves in all directions and quickly lose their tail if touched anywhere towards the rear. I was fortunate that this one thought it was well hidden and sat still for just a second.
Spotted on Apr 19, 2007
Submitted on Mar 31, 2019
2 Comments
Thanks Emilie.
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.