Texas Blind Snake
Rena dulcis
Summary 2
Leptotyphlops dulcis is sometimes known as the Texas Blindsnake or Texas Threadsnake. It is the smallest native snake in Bexar County. They are quite common in Bexar County and are sometimes found inside houses after heavy rains as they are flooded out of their subterranean habitats.
They are completely harmless and incapable of biting a human with their tiny mouths and lack of teeth. They feed primarily on ant pupae in their underground burrows.
When handled they secrete a foul-smelling musk which is intended to discourage a predator from eating them. Once you smell that musk, you won't consider eating one either! ;-)
Texas Threadsnakes can be confused with the similar looking Brahminy Blindsnake, an introduced species from Asia. Our native Texas Threadsnake is slightly larger as an adult, is pinkish in overall color (as opposed to blackish) and is generally the same color along its whole length. The Brahminy Blindsnake is typically dark with a lighter area on the head and the tail.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Chris Harrison, all rights reserved, uploaded by Chris Harrison
- Adapted by Chris Harrison from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rena_dulcis
