Blindworms (Anguidae) are lizards that at first glance remind us of snakes, because they have reduced limbs. Therefore, like snakes, they move by twisting their bodies. They are distinguished from snakes by two features of the lizards: the mobility of the eyelids and the ability to shed their tail in danger (autotomy). In blindworms, the head merges directly with the trunk, without a neck constriction. They are characterized by bony plates embedded in the skin. Above them are pink scales that cover the entire body and are of the same size and shape.
Seventy known species of this family inhabit Europe, southern and southeastern Asia, parts of North and South America, and the far northwest of Africa. In Slovenia the family of blindworms is represented by a single representative, the blindworm (Anguis fragilis), which also lives in the Notranjska Regional Park area.
