12 extant, see text The Amphisbaenidae (common name: worm lizards) are a family of amphisbaenians, a group of limbless vertebrates.

The head is massively constructed and used for burrowing, with powerful jaws and large, recurved teeth used for seizing prey.

Together with another bone, the extracollumella, the stapes detects vibrations caused by prey items, allowing amphisbaenids to hunt for invertebrates under ground.

In this respect, it is an example of convergent evolution to the burrowing mammalian family Chrysochloridae (golden moles), in which the malleus in the middle ear is greatly enlarged.

[3][4] 183 extant species are in the family, grouped into 12 genera: A number of extinct taxa are known from the fossil record:[6]