Sheltopusik
Pseudopus apodus (Pallas, 1775)
The sheltopusik (Pseudopus apodus), also called the glass snake or European glass lizard, is a lizard in the family Anguidae and subfamily Anguinae. It falls in the small size class, with a representative adult body mass of 450 g, reported values from 160.1 g to 616 g, and a body length of 40.9 cm.
Quick facts about the sheltopusik
It reaches sexual maturity at 2 years, produces 1 clutch per year with 8 per clutch, and its eggs incubate for 41 days. Its lifespan is given as 17 years, with values up to 54 years reported, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.
- Weight
- 160.1 g – 616 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- 40.9 cmsrc for Length
- Lifespan
- 17 years – 54 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Egg incubation
- 41 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 8src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 2 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the sheltopusik?
Photos of the sheltopusik
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the sheltopusik live?
Not recorded
What is the sheltopusik?
The sheltopusik, also spelled scheltopusik, sheltopusick, scheltopusick, sheltopusic, or scheltopusic (Pseudopus apodus), and also commonly known as Pallas's glass lizard, the European legless lizard, or the European glass lizard, is a species of large glass lizard in the family Anguidae. The species is found from Southern Europe to Central Asia. There are three recognized subspecies.
From the Wikipedia article “Sheltopusik” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sheltopusik&oldid=1373700414), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the sheltopusik endangered?
The sheltopusik is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the sheltopusik classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classReptilia
- orderSquamata
- familyAnguidae
- genusPseudopus
- SpeciesPseudopus apodus (Pallas, 1775)
Synonyms Lacerta apoda, Lacerta apus, Ophisaurus apodus, Ophisaurus apodus thracius, Ophisaurus apus, Pseudopus durvillii, Pseudopus fischeri, Pseudopus serpentinus, Sheltopusic didactilus, Sheltopusik didactylus
Other names and names in other languages (42)
- Eurasian glass lizardEnglish
- European glass lizardEnglish
- European legless lizardEnglish
- Glass snakeEnglish
- Pallas's glass lizardEnglish
- سحلية زجاجية أوروبيArabic
- سحلية عديمة الأرجل الأوروبيةArabic
- ТӀогьилборохьAvaric
- KoramalAzerbaijani
- ЖаўтапузікBelarusian
- ЗмиегущерBulgarian
- ЖълтокоремникBulgarian
- blavor žlutýCzech
- ScheltopusikGerman
- PanzerschleicheGerman
- SeitenfalterGerman
- ΤυφλίτηςGreek
- Lagarto de Cristal de PallasSpanish
- SeltopusikkiFinnish
- Pseudopode de PallasFrench
- Orvet géant des BalkansFrench
- Serpent-Lezard Sans PattersFrench
- Sheltopusik de PallasFrench
- קמטן חורשHebrew
- blavorCroatian
- Páncélos seltopuzikHungarian
- LordyArmenian
- ԴեղնափորիկArmenian
- PseudopoItalian
- バルカンヘビガタトカゲJapanese
- ヨーロッパアシナシトカゲJapanese
- Сарыбауыр кесірткеKazakh
- ЗмијогуштерMacedonian
- Europese GlasslangDutch
- Żółtopuzik bałkańskiPolish
- ГлухарьRussian
- ЖелтопузикRussian
- GlukharRussian
- БлаворSerbian
- Oluklu KertenkeleTurkish
- ЖовтопузUkrainian
- 帝王蛇蜥Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistITISWikidataIUCN Red List
Relatives of the sheltopusik
Other species in the same genus Pseudopus.
CompareSheltopusik vs Pseudopus laurillardiSheltopusik vs Pseudopus pannonicus
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the sheltopusik?
The sheltopusik is a lizard, a reptile in the order Squamata and the family Anguidae.
How big is the sheltopusik?
It has a body length of 40.9 cm and a representative adult body mass of 450 g, with reported weights from 160.1 g to 616 g.
How long does the sheltopusik live?
Its lifespan is given as 17 years, and values up to 54 years are reported.
Is the sheltopusik endangered?
No. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern (LC), which is not a threatened category.
How does the sheltopusik reproduce?
It produces 1 clutch per year with 8 per clutch, and its eggs incubate for 41 days. It reaches sexual maturity at 2 years.
What is the scientific name of the sheltopusik and who named it?
Its scientific name is Pseudopus apodus, with the authority written as (Pallas, 1775).
What other names does the sheltopusik have?
It is also called the glass snake, Eurasian glass lizard, Pallas's glass lizard, European glass lizard and European legless lizard.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Sheltopusik (Pseudopus apodus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/sheltopusik
“Sheltopusik (Pseudopus apodus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/sheltopusik.
@misc{sheltopusik_2026,
title = {Sheltopusik (Pseudopus apodus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/sheltopusik},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}