So what is this animal? The answer is here.

🦎Pseudopus apodus (European Legless Lizard / Sheltopusik)

Scientific Name: Pseudopus apodus
Common Names: Sheltopusik, European Legless Lizard, Glass Lizard

📚 General Information:

Pseudopus apodus is the largest species of legless lizard in the family Anguidae. Despite its snake-like appearance, it is not a snake, but a true lizard with several anatomical features that distinguish it from snakes.

🔍 Physical Characteristics:

• Limbs: Lacks functional limbs, though some very small vestigial limbs may remain near the rear of the body.
• Length: Can grow up to 135 cm (53 inches).
• Body Shape: Long and cylindrical, very similar to a snake, but with visible ear openings and eyelids (snakes lack these).
• Color: Generally brown, grayish, or tan with a shiny appearance.
• Tail: Long and fragile—can break off when threatened (autotomy).

🌎Habitat and Distribution:

• Shelter: Often hides under rocks, logs, or in burrows during the day.
• Native To: Southeastern Europe, the Balkans, parts of Central Asia, and the Middle East.
• Habitat: Prefers dry, open habitats like grasslands, scrublands, rocky hillsides, and even agricultural areas.

🐛 Diet:

• Occasionally eggs and small reptiles
• Carnivorous and feeds mainly on:
• Insects
• Spiders
• Snails and slugs
• Small mammals

🔁 Behavior:

• Can shed its tail like other lizards—a defense mechanism.
• Diurnal (active during the day).
• Solitary and mostly non-aggressive.
• When threatened, it may hiss loudly, lash its tail, and attempt to flee.

🐣 Reproduction:

• Lifespan: Can live 20–50 years in captivity, somewhat less in the wild.
• Breeding Season: Spring
• Eggs: Lays 5–10 eggs, which hatch in 6–8 weeks.

And the actual image I took off the ceiling. Have you seen this creature?