# Sheltopusik (*Pseudopus apodus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/sheltopusik  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

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. 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.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 160.1 g – 616 g |
| Length | 40.9 cm |
| Lifespan | 17 years – 54 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Egg incubation | 41 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 8 |
| Age at maturity | 2 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Reptilia
- order: Squamata
- family: Anguidae
- genus: Pseudopus
- species: *Pseudopus 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*

## Common questions

### 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

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), 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](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Sheltopusik (Pseudopus apodus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/sheltopusik