CreatureData

Iberian worm lizard

Blanus cinereus (Vandelli, 1797)

Status not recordedlizards

The iberian worm lizard (Blanus cinereus) is a species in the family Blanidae, order Squamata. Recorded adults weigh about 6 g, reach 17.5 cm in length and live up to 8.35 years.

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Quick facts about the iberian worm lizard

Length
15.9 cm – 17.5 cmsrc for Length
Lifespan
8.35 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Carnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
16 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrubland, woodlandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
1 – 3src for Young per litter or clutch
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Reproduction
Eggssrc for Reproduction
Active
Day and night (cathemeral)src for Active
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the iberian worm lizard?

IBERIAN WORM LIZARD · LENGTH 17.5 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 17.5 cm, the recorded maximum length of the iberian worm lizard is about 10% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

What eats the iberian worm lizard?

Species recorded in published studies and collections.

Recorded predators of the iberian worm lizard

3 on record

  1. Eyed lizard Timon lepidus3 sources
  2. False smooth snake Macroprotodon brevis2 sources
  3. False smooth snake Macroprotodon cucullatus2 sources

Each pair is recorded by at least two independent datasets. A record shows the animal was seen or found to have eaten the other, including scavenged carcasses and young animals; it does not say how often. Compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (CC0 1.0).

References for these records
  • Corti C., Capula M., Luiselli L., Razzetti E., Sindaco R. 2011. Reptilia. Fauna d'Italia Vol. XLV. Calderini Editore, Bologna.
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/348547287
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/348472411
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/235375368
  • Kreiner G., 2007. The snakes of Europe. Chimaira, Frankfurt am Main.
  • Diet of the false smooth snake, Macroprotodon cucullatus (Serpentes, Colubridae) in the western Mediterranean area. 1994. Herpetological Journal 4(3): 98-105

Where does the iberian worm lizard live?

Not recorded

Is the iberian worm lizard endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the iberian worm lizard classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classReptilia
  4. orderSquamata
  5. familyBlanidae
  6. genusBlanus
  7. SpeciesBlanus cinereus (Vandelli, 1797)

Synonyms Amphisbaena cinerea, Amphisbaena cinerea, Amphisbaena reticulata, Blanus mariae

Other names and names in other languages (25)
  • María's worm lizardEnglish
  • Mediterranean worm lizardEnglish
  • Southwest Iberian worm lizardEnglish
  • سحلية البحر الأبيض المتوسط الدوديةArabic
  • serpeta cegaCatalan
  • colobreta cegaCatalan
  • kroužkovec evropskýCzech
  • Sydvestiberisk OrmeøgleDanish
  • RingelschleicheGerman
  • Maurische NetzwühleGerman
  • Culebrilla CiegaSpanish
  • Culebrilla ciega atlánticaSpanish
  • Culebrilla ciega occidentalSpanish
  • Culebrilla de MaríaSpanish
  • iberianmatoliskoFinnish
  • Amphisbène cendréFrench
  • Escáncer cegoGalician
  • szürke féreggyíkHungarian
  • LicrancoPortuguese
  • Cobra-cegaPortuguese
  • Cobra-cega-de-MariaPortuguese
  • Пепельный бланусRussian
  • Бурая двуходкаRussian
  • กิ้งก่าหนอนไอบีเรียตะวันตกเฉียงใต้Thai
  • Moorse Wormhagedisroot

Catalogue of LifeiNaturalistITISWikidata

Relatives of the iberian worm lizard

Other species in the same genus Blanus.

CompareIberian worm lizard vs Turkish worm lizardIberian worm lizard vs Tangier worm lizardIberian worm lizard vs Moroccan worm lizardIberian worm lizard vs Cilician worm lizard

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the iberian worm lizard?

An adult iberian worm lizard weighs 6 g and measures 15.9 cm – 17.5 cm long, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

How long does the iberian worm lizard live?

The iberian worm lizard has a recorded lifespan of 8.35 years.

What kind of animal is the iberian worm lizard?

The iberian worm lizard (Blanus cinereus) belongs to the family Blanidae in the order Squamata.

What eats the iberian worm lizard?

Animals recorded preying on the iberian worm lizard include eyed lizard, false smooth snake and false smooth snake. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Iberian worm lizard (Blanus cinereus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/iberian-worm-lizard

MLA

“Iberian worm lizard (Blanus cinereus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/iberian-worm-lizard.

BibTeX
@misc{iberian_worm_lizard_2026,
  title = {Iberian worm lizard (Blanus cinereus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/iberian-worm-lizard},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}