New Guinea, although populations are limited to one small area. Burton's legless lizard is found in a variety of habitats from deserts to the margins of rainforests but not in southern alpine areas and extreme northern deserts as would be expected based on its distribution. It is usually found in low vegetation or debris on the ground such as leaf litter which has been shown to be important to specimens located in tropical environments. This was demonstrated in an experiment where individuals were given a choice of several thermally comparable environments and there was an overwhelming preference for leaf litter by specimens from the tropics. In areas where leaf litter is not as readily available this species will use grasses, abandoned burrows and other shelter that it can find as habitat. Diet L. burtonis feeds almost exclusively on lizards. Generally, skinks are the main prey item taken but other legless lizards, geckos and dragons are also a part of the diet of Burton's legless lizard. In addition, it has been reported that this species will eat small snakes on rare occasions and this has been documented in a study of the stomach contents of museum specimens. Notably, this species also feeds rather infrequently according to a recent study. Reproduction Reproduction seems to be seasonal in populations of Burton's legless lizard and mating occurs at similar times throughout Australia. Ovulation and mating for the species usually occurs from September until summer. The species is oviparous and eggs are generally laid from November to January, although, reproduction can occur at any time outside of the usual breeding season and females are capable of laying more than one clutch each year. Eggs are laid under logs or rocks, on the ground, under leaf litter and sometimes in the nests of sugar ants. Clutches can be laid in quick succession with each clutch containing 1 to 3 tough, leathery eggs, although a clutch size of 2 eggs is by far the most common. Nesting can be communal and up to 20 eggs have been found in a nest. Another characteristic that has been discovered is the ability of females of this species to either store sperm for reproduction at a later time or to reproduce through parthenogenesis which does not require mating to be successful. Hatchlings are approximately 13 centimetres long. Captivity In Australia a license is required to keep the Burton's legless lizard