amphisbaenia

Meaning

A suborder of specialized, mostly legless, burrowing squamate reptiles characterized by ringed skin and a skull adapted for tunneling.

Examples

• The amphisbaenia are distinct from snakes because of their unique skin structure and ability to move backward as easily as forward.
• Researchers studying the evolution of amphisbaenia have found that their loss of limbs is a convergent trait shared with several other subterranean species.