Brahminy Blindsnake
Indotyphlops braminus
Summary 3
This species of fossorial (burrowing) snake is native to Asia but has been introduced in many other places around the globe. It our area it is a very recent introduction and only a handful of specimens have been found to date. However, this species is expected to become more common in the near future as it spreads.
This species is spread primarily in soil or potted plants moved from an invaded area. This species is now fairly common in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas and that is possibly the source of our introduction.
This species is capable of reproducing by parthenogenesis. That means this species can reproduce without mating so a single female can start a new colony in an area once it invades. This is likely the reason that this species has invaded so many areas. It is not known to be detrimental in areas it invades, although its interaction and possible competition with out native Texas Threadsnake has not been studied.
This species is very similar looking to our native Texas Threadsnake. The Brahminy Blindsnake is smaller as an adult, is darker overall (blackish vs. pink) and usually has a lighter spot on the tail end.
Sources and Credits
- (c) allcreaturesbigandsmall, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
- (c) Marc AuMarc, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/59206851@N00/4640391684
- Adapted by Chris Harrison from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indotyphlops_braminus
