The public have been asked to help the wildlife service to locate a legless lizard after a video post wrongly identifying it as a snake made the rounds on social media.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said it was aware of the footage, which seemed to feature a “snake” in what looked like the Devonshire Marsh area.

Bermuda is free of snakes, and if such a reptile were to gain a foothold on the island, the ecosystem could be thrown out of balance.

A DENR spokesman said that the low quality of the video made the animal difficult to identify, but technical officers believed it to be a legless lizard.

The spokesman said: “A legless lizard is a type of reptile that resembles a snake, but is actually a lizard that has evolved without legs.

“Various species spend time burrowing in the soil, primarily feeding on insects, small vertebrates and other small prey items.”

He added: “They are not dangerous to humans. However, new species in Bermuda can damage our fragile island ecosystems, and it is important to get a definitive identification and location.”

“Legless lizard” is the name for several lizard families that have their limbs lost or greatly reduced through evolution.

They evolved from many modern species of lizards, such as geckos and skinks, whereas snakes have an entirely separate ancestor.

Legless lizards can be distinguished from snakes by their eyelids, ear openings and notched tongues, all of which snakes lack.

Snakes also have broad belly scales and the ability to unhinge their jaws to eat large prey, neither of which legless lizards are capable of.

The term “legless lizard” often refers to the Pygopodidae family native to Australia, though other species can be found all over the world except for Antarctica.

It can also be a reference to the subfamily Anguinae, also known as glass lizards for their easily detached tails.

The DENR spokesman said that despite best efforts, this exact species of legless lizard cannot be determined from the footage alone.

He said: “The low-quality pixellated image makes a definite identification difficult.

“For example, you cannot see the head clearly, and gauging the size is challenging. It appears on the smaller side to most snakes.”

• Anyone with helpful information can call the DENR through the wildlife emergency hotline on 293-2727 ext 999