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Brahminy Blind Snake or "Flower Pot Snake"
Ramphotyphlops braminus
30.2591, -81.4338
Field Notes
Description:
Average adult size is 2.5-6.5 inches (6.35-16.5 cm). Adults are small, thin, and shiny silver gray, charcoal gray, or purple. The head and tail-tip are indistinct, the neck is not narrow and the eyes are only small dot-like remnants under the scales. The tail is tipped with a tiny pointed spur. The head scales are small and similar to body scales. The belly is grayish to brown. The scales are smooth and shiny, there are 14 dorsal scale rows along the entire body. Juvenile coloration is similar to that of adults.
Habitat:
The Brahminy blind snake burrows in soft soiland is found in a wide variety of environments, from urban gardens and agricultural fieldsto secondary forests
A non-native species from southeastern Asia. It was first reported in Florida in 1983, and has now been found from Key West in the Florida Keys, north throughout most of the peninsula, and west in Leon County in the panhandle. Outside of Florida, it has been widely introduced to many tropical localities and is considered the most widespread snake species in the world.
Notes:
With a population comprised entirely of females, the Brahminy blind snake is one of only a few snake species known to reproduce through parthenogenesis. This curious reproductive mode involves the female laying small clutches of thin-shelled, peanut-sized eggs without needing to mate. The unfertilized eggs then hatch into tiny snakes around 53 millimetres in length, all of which are female. Thus a single adult, transported half way around the world in a flowerpot, has the potential to start a whole new colony without the hassle of finding a mate.
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