Ophisaurus ventralis
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The eastern glass lizard (Ophisaurus ventralis) is a species of legless lizard in the family Anguidae and the longest and heaviest species of glass lizards in the genus Ophisaurus, endemic to the Southeastern United States. The streamlined, legless species is often confused with snakes. Glass lizards differ from snakes as they possess a moveable eyelid and an external ear opening as well as a lateral groove that separates the different types of scales on the animal, while all three of these features are absent in snakes. Snakes also have flexible jaws while lizards do not. Ventralis comes from the Latin "venter" meaning belly; this is in reference to the snake-like movement.
Adults of O. ventralis grow to 46–108 cm (18–43 in) in total length, although the head-body length is only 30.5 cm (12.0 in) at most. There are 99 or more scales along the lateral groove. In this species, no dark longitudinal stripes are present below the lateral groove or under the tail, and there is no distinct mid-dorsal stripe. The tail serves purposes such as balance and defense. The neck is marked with a series of mostly vertical, or highly irregular, white marks, with white markings on posterior... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ZooTampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Riverbanks Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island | 🇺🇸 United States |
No species of the same family or order lives in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Glass Lizard sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 14 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 24th most-seen of the 35 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–June, August–September and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Glass Lizard in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in January, July and October–November, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Glass Lizard sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Eastern Glass Lizard sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Glass Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (14 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
