Snakes and Legless Lizards

[deckardcanine]

A legless lizard’s not a snake, and neither has it lost
Its legs because of violence. The loss was worth the cost
To help it burrow underground. That said, the term applies
To lizards that retain their legs at useless, paltry size.

The fastest way to tell one from a snake is by the ears,
Two holes behind the mouth. That isn’t how a true snake hears:
By sensing the vibrations of a sound within its jaw,
Which sends them to the cochlea. The input’s low and raw.

Another way you might distinguish: Wait until it blinks.
A snake eye has a see-though scale, no eyelid like a skink’s.
But certain legless lizard species also lack a lid.
This method wouldn’t work for sure unless the blinking did.

The lower jaws of snakes are not connected to the upper,
Allowing them to open wide and swallow bigger supper.
A legless lizard can’t do that. It preys on smaller mice,
The eggs of birds, and many bugs (I’m keeping this concise).

A snake is very flexible, with muscles all around.
A legless lizard’s body gets quite rigid halfway down.
It’s mostly tail, and on that note, the tail can break away
And be regrown, unlike a snake’s. That’s all I have to say.