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Bread and cookies: allotriophagy in a worm lizard (Squamata: Amphisbaenia)

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  • Carolina L. Paiva,
  • Carlos H. de-Oliveira-Nogueira,
  • Henrique Costa
Henrique Costa
Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brasil
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/a_h-17538

Published 2025-09-03

How to Cite

Paiva, C. L., de-Oliveira-Nogueira, C. H., & Costa, H. (2025). Bread and cookies: allotriophagy in a worm lizard (Squamata: Amphisbaenia). Acta Herpetologica. https://doi.org/10.36253/a_h-17538

Copyright (c) 2025 Carolina L. Paiva, Carlos H. de-Oliveira-Nogueira, Henrique Costa

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

Allotriophagy refers to the consumption of food items considered abnormal for a given species. In this note, we report the recurrent consumption of bread and cookie crumbs by a free-ranging worm lizard (Amphisbaena sp.) in Brazil. While there are a few isolated reports of worm lizards consuming unusual food items, this is the first documented case of such behavior occurring over several months, potentially involving the same individual. Allotriophagy in wild worm lizards may be triggered by nutritional deficiencies or opportunistic feeding. Documenting these cases is important for advancing our understanding of worm lizard behavior, particularly in urban environments.

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