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What I am about to explain to you will make you think I am

 
MsAM's Avatar
  • Answered by:MsAM
  • Reptile Expert, Biologist
  • Positive Feedback: 99.1 %
  • Accepted Answers: 2482
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Customer Question

What I am about to explain to you will make you think I am crazy. However, there is something in my house that looks like a snake when you can see one which is not often at all. They are green, have a forked tail and seem to be able to fade into the background they are in when frightened. I have seen a small female of this creature. She was elongated, had a head with a pointed "nose" and you could see thru her body where there were brown eggs. I am the only one in our household who has seen this, and naturally, everyone thinks I am seeing things. Is there such a creature?

Submitted: 378 days and 14 hours ago.
Category: Reptile
Value: $15
Status: CLOSED
Picture
Expert:  MsAM replied378 days and 14 hours ago.

Hello,

I'll do my best to help, but I can't promise I'll be able to identify this. Some additional information will be useful.

Are you sure you have seen more than one creature, or is it possible you've seen the same one more than once?

Do they have legs, even stubby ones?

In what state do you live?

Does it look at all like this:







Thank you.

AnnaMsAM41065.8811270486

Customer replied378 days and 13 hours ago.

I have seen more than one. No legs. They seem to slither. It looks somewhat like the picture with the forked tail but the nose part seems more pointy. Eggs have been laid and it seems they try to attach themselves to almost anything in order to grow. I know this sounds so weird, but it's true. And it concerns me because they can become part of the background and you don't know they are there. The first time I saw them, they were hiding in our comforter between layers. And when I told my husband, they seemed to become part of the batting. I promise you, I am not crazy! I'm afraid they will continue to multiply.

Picture
Expert:  MsAM replied378 days and 13 hours ago.

Thank you for getting back to me. There are a number of what are called legless lizards. They look a lot like snakes, but are really lizards. You would find these in warm areas because they don't take cold winters. Besides native species, many people who live in warm areas release pet lizards when they no longer want them. As for the forked tail, many lizards have the ability to grow back a tail when the tail is broken off. When this happens near the end of the tail, the new growth can be fork-shaped. It is also possible for a genetic mutation to cause a forked tail. I can't give you any more specific information without seeing a photo of the animal.

To get rid of them, you could contact a pest removal service, but that is expensive. Another option is to use snake traps. These enable you to catch a snake or lizard and release it elsewhere. If you caught one, it would also allow you to prove its existence. The traps are sold in some hardware stores and farm supply stores. Here is an online source:

http://www.nixalite.com/stickemsnaketraps.aspx

I hope this information helps.

Anna

Customer replied378 days and 13 hours ago.

Don't lizards have legs? I don't think it is a lizard. Could it be a worm snake?

Accepted Answer

Picture
Expert:  MsAM replied378 days and 13 hours ago.

Legless lizards do not have legs, and there are many different species. Here are some photos of those that live in California. There are many others from all over the world:

http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/a.pulchra.html


Worm snakes are brown, and are almost never seen above ground. They live in forested areas and burrow. It would eb highly unlikely that a number of them would move into a house. You can see a photo and read more about them :

http://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/caramo.htm

Lizards are much more likely than snakes to have forked tails.Snakes do not regenerate their tails.

Anna

Expert TypeReptile Expert, Biologist
Category: Reptile
Pos. Feedback: 99.1 %
Accepts: 2482
Answered: 6/5/2012

Experience: Have owned turtles, snakes, amphibians, and lizards. Study and provide habitat for wild herps.

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