Things to Avoid: Squatting anywhere in Baja California

Let me introduce you to the baja worm lizard, known as an 'ajolote' in its native Baja California. The Baja Worm Lizard (Bipes biporus) is actually a very cool critter. Despite a superficial resemblance to a worm, Baja Worm Lizards are actually amphisbaenians, a suborder of reptile closely related to lizards and snakes. These subterranean creatures usually do not grow much more than 8" in length. Their two powerful front legs (Baja Worm Lizards only have two legs) allow them to tunnel efficiently through the top foot or so of soil in order to hunt grubs, ants, termites, and other insects.

Some people believe that if a person sits on the ground naked, one of these may burrow up from the ground and enter their digestive system through their anus. This legend, though not proven to be true, is still too horrible a possibility to ignore. Although the legend many possibly be intended to teach children to keep up off the dirt to stay cleaner, the next time I visit Baja California, I plan on keeping my anus very far above the ground.