Trogonophis – Checkerboard worm lizard

Found in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and parts of Greece, it belongs to the mysterious amphisbaenian group, a lineage of reptiles that took evolution down a very different path from snakes and “typical” lizards. Like its relatives, the checkerboard worm lizard spends nearly all its life underground, which means that despite being relatively widespread, it is seldom seen by people. When it does appear—often after rain or when dug up by farmers—it looks like something out of folklore: a slender, pinkish reptile patterned in a way that resembles a checkerboard.

This species is named for its distinctive scalation pattern, which alternates light and dark bands along the body, giving it a faint checkerboard-like appearance. Its body is long, cylindrical, and shiny, with scales arranged in neat rings that make it look like a living earthworm. The head is blunt and shovel-shaped, specialized for burrowing, and the tail is short and rounded—so much so that it can be hard to tell which end is which at a glance. Unlike snakes, the checkerboard worm lizard has tiny but functional eyes (though covered with scales and limited to sensing light) and external ear openings, both telltale signs of its lizard ancestry.

Ecologically, the checkerboard worm lizard is a true subterranean specialist. It inhabits loose soils, farmlands, orchards, and scrublands, where it tunnels quietly under the surface in search of food. Its diet consists mainly of ants, termites, beetle larvae, and other small soil-dwelling invertebrates, which it seizes with its strong jaws. This makes it a natural pest controller, even though most people who encounter it don’t realize the important ecological role it plays beneath their feet.