Common name: Zarudnyi’s Worm Lizard
Scientific name:Diplometopon zarudnyi
Family: Trogonophidae

Size:
Length: ~15–25 cm

Identification:
A small, limbless, cylindrical reptile with a worm-like appearance. The body is covered in distinct ring-shaped segments, and the skin is loose, allowing efficient movement through sand. Eyes are highly reduced and covered by skin, giving the head a blunt, shovel-like shape adapted for burrowing. Often mistaken for a snake, but completely harmless.

Habitat:
Loose sandy soils, desert plains, coastal dunes, and semi-arid environments where digging is possible.

Status in the UAE:
Native but rarely observed; presence is confirmed but sightings are infrequent due to its subterranean lifestyle.

Diet:
Primarily ants, termites, and other small soil-dwelling invertebrates.

Behavior:
Fossorial and secretive, spending most of its life underground. Mostly nocturnal and occasionally surfaces after rainfall or during humid conditions.

Conservation status:
Not globally threatened; population trends are poorly known due to limited observations and cryptic behavior.