Mexican Mole Lizard (Bipes biporus)
by IUCN staff
This fossorial (burrowing) species requires areas with sandy soils with abundant leaf litter; it is rarely seen on the surface. The general habitat in its area of distribution is dryland and desert, with xeric shrub vegetation. Animals are often collected close to fenceposts, and populations are believed to be able to survive in moderately disturbed landscapes. They construct an elaborate system of burrows just below the surface, usually centered on stands of vegetation.
This species is endemic to the Baja California peninsula of Mexico, where it ranges from extreme southwestern Baja California State through western Baja California Sur, to the Isthmus of La Paz and the western Cape Region. It is probably a relatively abundant species, but it is secretive and is not often encountered. Papenfuss (1982) collected 2,719 specimens in an extensive study of the species…
(read more: IUCN)
(TL - Bradford D. Hllingsworth; TR - Dr. Jessie Maisano via: Digimorph; BL - via Mexico Herps; BR - uncredited)
