Lialis burtonis
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Burton's legless lizard (Lialis burtonis) is a species of lizard in the family Pygopodidae. The species lacks forelegs and has only rudimentary hind legs. Pygopodid lizards are also referred to as "legless lizards", "flap-footed lizards" and "snake-lizards". This species is native to Australia and Papua New Guinea.
English zoologist John Edward Gray described Burton's legless lizard in 1835. The specific name, burtonis, is in honour of British army surgeon Edward Burton (1790–1867). Burton's legless lizard (Lialis burtonis) is a member of the genus Lialis within the family Pygopodidae. There are approximately 40 species in the family Pygopodidae, however, Burton's legless lizard and another species (L. jicari) are the only species that fall within genus Lialis. Members in genus Lialis are considered analogous to macrostomatan snakes as these taxonomic groups have functionally similar adaptations such as the ability to swallow relatively large prey whole. However, their resemblance to snakes is merely superficial example of convergent evolution, and they are not closely related.
Differences between legless lizards and snakes include the lack of venom glands in legless... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Litchfield National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Nitmiluk National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Cape Range | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Ningaloo Marine Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 7 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 8 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 9 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gembira Loka Zoo | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Burton's Legless Lizard sighting in Ningaloo Marine Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 17th most-seen of the 29 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and October–November
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Burton's Legless Lizard in Ningaloo Marine Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, June–July and December–January, the lowest months. Those are among Ningaloo Marine Park's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain a month against 50 mm in June.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Burton's Legless 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.
6th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Burton's Legless Lizard sightings, Ningaloo Marine Park ranks 6th at about 20%. The best odds are in Litchfield National Park (Australia, about 40%), Nitmiluk National Park (Australia, about 30%) and Kakadu National Park (Australia, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Burton's Legless Lizard is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Ningaloo Marine Park (10 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.
