Common Scaley Foot/ Legless lizard

Snakes don't have ear holes this one does and snakes don't drop and re-grow their tails and this one has. So even though it reared up and flicked its tongue at me (clue 3 as the tongue was wide and fleshy not slender and long like a snake) I was not concerned.
	The adult Scaly-foot legless lizard is approx 230mm in length from snout to vent not including the tail which can be up to twice as long as the body. This legless lizard can also be patterned and is also found in Western Australia. They have varying degrees of markings. It also has a rounder blunt nose compared to the Burton's Legless lizard.
I found this Legless lizard to be quite tolerant of me, making no great escape but casually going under and over the Banksia leaves and staying under shrubs. If startled, it made a slithery dash for cover but its whole body was never under leaves at the one time. I have since returned and found two more orange scaly-foot legless lizards at Neerabup National Park.
Legless lizards lay eggs. It is mostly diurnal but nocturnal in the hotter summer months. Go here to see our video of this legless lizard.	The scales are usually rough or keeled and not smooth and has the largest hindlimb flaps of any legless lizard. Go here to see this in a photograph from the Museum of Victoria www.museum.vic.gov. au/bioinformatics/lizards/images/lepilive1.htm

What does it eat?

It forages on a variety of small spiders and insects. Possibly ambushing their prey.

This spider is common at Neerabup National Park.

Update;

An orange form of the Common Scaly-foot was seen at Jandakot Regional Park, Perth on Sept 14 during the day at 11am. It is very sandy here.

This grey form of Common Scaly-foot legless lizard was seen dead on the road at Dryandra Woodlands in the wheatbelt in November.

Here are the scales on its belly.

Update:

This plain form of the Common Scaly foot was seen about one hour before sunset at Mt Lesueur near Jurien Bay on September 2. You can see on this page how the colours vary within this species

It too reared up at me and made no attempt to flee for a few minutes.

This Common Scaly-foot was found near the top northern limits of its habitat.

Habitat

It lives in a variety of soil types and habitats. It occupies southern Australia. In Western Australia it is found no further north than Shark Bay and is in the south-west.

Mt Lesueur National Park Jurien Bay 3 hours north of Perth

Go here for some photographs of legless lizards from Australia.

Text;
"Australian Reptiles A Photographic Reference to the Terrestrial Reptiles of Australia" by Stephen K Wilson, David G Knowles.
"Reptiles and Frogs of the Perth Region" by Brian Bush, Brad Maryan, Robert Browne-Cooper and David Robinson.