Two-legged Nessia

The two-legged nessia, also called Smith's snake skink, is a burrowing skink endemic to Sri Lanka, from the eastern Knuckles Mountain Range, with few known localities including Gammaduwa and Matalapitiya. The body is slender and of equal girth, the snout broad and obtuse. The forelimbs are absent and the hind limbs are vestigial buds. The back is brown or light reddish brown, and hatchlings are dark grey or black (Wikipedia, general species account).

It hides under rubble, decaying logs and leaf litter in submontane forest up to 750 m, and wriggles into loose soil when exposed. It feeds on insects and lays two to four eggs in loose soil in March, April or May. Nationally Endangered (Sri Lanka National Red List 2012).