Very Small Snakes
A couple days ago, I found two blind snakes in Chris and Sally’s yard. The first was very small, the second was much smaller. I believe they are an African species, Ramphotyphlops braminus, that has accidentally been introduced by man in many tropical areas and has been seen on nearby Anguilla. Common names for this species include the brahminy blind snake and flowerpot blind snake.
Besides its curious appearance, this snake is also apparently the only confirmed parthenogenic snake and there are no males. They also have scales over their rudimentary eyes, so they can only see light and dark, but not much else. Although they look like worms, they move quite quickly and it is very hard to tell the head from the tail. As with many other snakes, they excrete a smelly substance when captured.
