Peter's Giant Blind Snake (Snakes of southern Africa)

Peter's Giant Blind Snake

Afrotyphlops schlegelii

Summary ³

Afrotyphlops schlegelii, commonly known as Schlegel's beaked blind snake or Schlegel's giant blind snake, is a species of snake in the family Typhlopidae. The species is endemic to eastern and southern Africa, and bears the distinction of being the world's largest typhlopid. It is harmless to humans and lives exclusively on a diet of termites.

Afrotyphlops schlegelii ⁴

Afrotyphlops schlegelii, commonly known as Schlegel's beaked blind snake^[2] or Schlegel's giant blind snake,^[1] is a species of snake in the Typhlopidae family.^[3]^[4]^[5] It is endemic to eastern and southern Africa, and bears the distinction of being the world's largest typhlopid,^[2] is harmless to humans and lives exclusively on a diet of termites.

1Etymology
2Geographic range
3Description
4Habitat
5Behavior
6Reproduction
7Infraspecific taxa
8References
9Further reading

Etymology[edit]

The specific name, schlegelii, is in honor of German herpetologist Hermann Schlegel.^[1]

Geographic range[edit]

It is found in Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, southern Mozambique, northern Namibia, Somalia, South Africa, southern Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, northern Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.^[1]

Description[edit]

Three distinct color phases are found: uniform, blotched, or striped.

Uniform phase specimens are black to brown dorsally, straw-colored ventrally.

Blotched phase individuals have black to dark brown irregular blotches dorsally, and are yellow-green to yellow ventrally and on the sides.

The striped phase results from each scale being edged with black. These black lines merge with age.

Maximum recorded snout-vent length is 95 cm (37⅜ inches).

Scales arranged in 30-44 rows around the body. More than 300 scales in the vertebral row (maximum 623).^[2]

Snout very prominent, with a sharp horizontal cutting edge, below which are located the nostrils. Rostral very large, extending as far back as the eyes. Portion of the rostral visible from below broader than long. Four upper labials. Nasal semidivided, the suture proceeding from the first upper labial. Preocular present, narrower than the nasal or the ocular, in contact with the second and third upper labials. Eyes distinct, located below the suture between the preocular and the ocular. Diameter of body 25 to 30 times in the total length. Tail broader than long, ending in a spine.^[6]

Habitat[edit]

Afrotyphlops schlegelii is found in a variety of habitats, from sandveld to coastal bush.^[2]

Behavior[edit]

It is fossorial, and very large individuals are found deep underground.^[2]

Reproduction[edit]

This species is oviparous. A female usually lays 12-40 eggs, but very large individuals may lay as many as 60. The eggs, which are laid in late spring or summer, measure 20–22 mm long by 10-12mm wide (3/4-7/8 inch x 3/8-7/16 inch). The eggs hatch in 5–6 weeks.^[2]

Infraspecific taxa[edit]

There are two subspecies:^[1]

Megatyphlops schlegelii schlegeliiPeters, 1860
Megatyphlops schlegelii petersiiBocage, 1873

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^eAfrotyphlops schlegelii at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database. Accessed 4 January 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^fBranch, Bill. 2004. Field Guide to Snakes and other Reptiles of Southern Africa. Third Revised edition, Second impression. Ralph Curtis Books. Sanibel Island Florida. p. 54, Plate 39.
^Pyron, Robert Alexander; Burbrink, Frank T. and Wiens, John J. (2013). "A phylogeny and revised classification of Squamata, including 4161 species of lizards and snakes". BMC Evolutionary Biology13 (1): 93–145. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-13-93. PMC 3682911. PMID 23627680.
^McDiarmid RW, Campbell JA, Touré T. 1999. Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. 1. Herpetologists' League. 511 pp. ISBN 1-893777-00-6 (series). ISBN 1-893777-01-4 (volume).
^Afrotyphlops schlegelii at the Catalogue of Life
^Boulenger, G.A. 1893. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History)., Volume I., Containing the Families Typhlopidæ... Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). London. pp. 44-45.