Pygopus lepidopodus

Common Scaly-foot at Bournda, NSW

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Identification history

	Pygopus lepidopodus	3 Sep 2020	PatrickCampbell
	Pseudonaja textilis	12 Jun 2020	RossMannell

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User's notes

This snake was around 30cm in length as it moved quickly off the road when I approached. The photo had to be taken quickly but I am guessing it’s a young brown snake.

3 comments

snakey wrote:

2 Sep 2020

Judging by the regrowth of the tail tip my best guess is not a snake but a legless lizard probably a scaly-foot pygopus lepidopodus.....Rob

snakey wrote:

3 Sep 2020

As far as i know snakes do not have the capability to regrow their tails unlike skinks legless lizzies and geckoes.We only have that one pygopus in this area,and I have only ever seen one on the kangarutha track many years ago.

PatrickCampbell wrote:

3 Sep 2020

I'm confident that this is a Common Scaly-foot, despite the quality of the photograph. Reasons being the regrown tail (snakes cannot regrow their tails, as mentioned); the just visible flap/scaley-foot(~halfway); the horizontally aligned, small, dark, posterior dashes on the tail; the relatively thickset body with indistinct neck; textured scales (longitudinally aligned) barely visible anteriorly (on the body); and just barely visible tympanic opening, indicated by dark mark in the tympanic region.

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Location information

Sighting information

At least 1 Abundance
24 Mar 2020 02:28 PM Recorded on
RossMannell Recorded by
Collections
Reptiles and Frogs Legless Lizards RossMannell South Coast NatureMapr

Species information

Pygopus lepidopodus Scientific name
Common Scaly-foot Common name
Not Sensitive
Local native
Non-invasive or negligible
Up to 405.2m Recorded at altitude
Machine learning

Australian Capital Territory

New South Wales

Queensland

Northern Territory

Western Australia

South Australia

Victoria

Tasmania