| Bipes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mexican mole lizard (Bipes biporus) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Lacertoidea |
| Clade: | Amphisbaenia |
| Family: | Bipedidae |
| Genus: | Bipes Latreille, 1801 |
| Species | |
Bipes biporus (Cope, 1894) Contents | |
Bipes is a genus of amphisbaenians (or worm lizards) found only in Mexico, the sole living member of the family Bipedidae. [2] They are carnivorous, burrowing reptiles, but unlike other species of amphisbaenians, they possess two stubby forelimbs placed far forward on the body. [3] They also retain an almost complete pectoral girdle. [4] The shovel-like limbs are used to scrape away soil while burrowing, in a manner similar to a mole. [5] Evidence for their occurrence in the United States is reviewed by Somma (1993).
