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.

5 comments

JackieMiles wrote:

15 Jul 2020

The length suggests it could also be a White-lipped Snake, but as the face is not very visible it would be hard to say. They are most often active on dull days and round dusk, but the lighting in your photo looks fairly bright. It rather looks as if the tail has been damaged and regrown. Not sure if snakes can do this. Patrick? any idea?

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

JackieMiles wrote:

3 Sep 2020

Yeah, good point Rob. I've seen a common scaly-foot in that general area myself, and it looks pretty good in size and shape for that, so I'd be pretty happy to confirm it as that. You think? We are pretty light-on for legless lizards in these parts, so it is unlikely to be any of the other species.

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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