Blind Snakes
(Family: Typhlopidae)
There are around 46 species of blind snakes belonging to the genus Anilios (previously Ramphotyphlops) in Australia, mostly restricted to the south-east. They are small ‘worm-like’ burrowing snakes that are largely pink or grey in colour, and are often mistaken for large earthworms.
The have a forked tongue and smooth scales around their bodies that enable them to travel through soil. As they live predominantly undergound, and are mostly nocturnal, their eyes are reduced to small dark spots.
Blind Snakes feed on ants and termites and find these by tasting and smelling the air with their tongue. Blind snakes are not venomous and their prey is swallowed whole. They are, in turn, preyed upon by snakes, such as the Bandy Bandy, as well as owls and feral cats.
