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Typhlops vermicularis (Worm Snake, “Common Blind Snake

Typhlops vermicularis (Worm Snake, “Common Blind Snake


Typhlops vermicularis (Worm Snake, “Common Blind Snake" / Kör Yılan) from Gönyeli, Nicosia/Lefkoşa - 23.04.2007.

Perhaps the most conspicuous physical characteristic of blindsnakes (family: Typhlopidae) is their small size: The genus Typhlops, consists of several tenths of species distributed worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions. Despite of its wide range, the Worm Snake is considered to be monotypic.

The range of Worm Snake includes lowlands (with a vertical distribution to approx. 1500 m) of the Balkan Peninsula, eastern Mediterranean islands, Turkey eastwards to the Caucasus, Iraq, Iran, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, southwards to Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Sinai and continental Egypt.

Worm snake is a rather small (in this photographed animal approx. 18 cm), aglyphous, worm-like snake, rarely exceeding 350 mm of total length. The cylindrical and very slender body is almost constantly thick from the neck to the tail base; the small head is not distinct from neck. Like other blindsnakes, it has small, ventrally placed mouths and highly reduced eyes that are covered by the enlarged scales surrounding the head. The snout is rounded. The body scales (both dorsal and ventral) are smooth, shiny, and strongly overlapping, in 22-24 (20-26) rows at midbody. There are no enlarged ventral nor subcaudal scales, the dorsal scales are 200-400 in a longitudinal row, the anal shield is entire. The tail is about as long as wide and terminates in a conical spine. The eyes are vestigial, more or less discernible under the ocular scale. The rostral shield is large, posteriorly reaching the level of the eyes. 4 upper labials, the first minute, getting larger posteriorly. Coloration is uniform: usually glossy rosy, pinkish or yellowish, occasionally brown to blackish, sometimes slightly lighter below. Often translucent, so that inner organs, eggs, or food remnants can be observed through the ventral body wall.

Worm snake is a fossorial species and prefers vegetated habitats with deeper wet soil in which it can burrow. It spends nearly all of its life buried in the soil or under stones in Mediterranean steppes, in oak forests, at sparsely vegetated rocky slopes and in the cultivated fields and gardens, but mostly only during the springtime. Though often found near water, wetlands are omitted. An aggregation of numerous individuals has been reported. During the hot season, animals penetrate deeper to prevent desiccation. It appears on the surface only occasionally, mainly after heavy rains.

The natural behavior is poorly known. Because these small snakes spend most of their lives hidden underground, much of what is known about their behavior derives from observations of the defensive strategies that they implement when they are unearthed by humans. When first exposed, most blindsnakes immediately endeavor to burrow into the soil. If captured, they attempt to escape by frantically thrashing their bodies back and forth, defecating, and voiding the contents of their anal glands. In addition, in many instances the apical tail spine is jabbed forcefully into the captor’s skin. No blindsnakes are known to bite in defense.

Amongst the known blindsnakes (family: Typhlopidae), mating behavior has been observed only in this species. The male wraps several tight coils around the posterior portion of the female’s body during copulation. This behavior presumably allows the male to keep the female’s cloaca positioned properly during mating. In some instances, the male and female become intertwined with one another during copulation. On other occasions, the snakes may face in opposite directions while mating. The mating occurs in the spring. It is oviparous, the females lay in summer 4-8 elongated eggs deep into the moist earth or under stones.

Thanks to the minute mouth, only small prey can be swallowed. The diet consists predominantly of all developmental stages of ants, termites and other small arthropods, earth worms are also occasionally eaten.

References: 1. Göçmen, B. (Unpub. results). The results of herpetological trips. 2. Budak, A. & Göçmen, B. (2005). Herpetology. Ege Üniversitesi Fen Fakültesi Kitaplar Serisi, No. 194, Ege Üniversitesi Basimevi, Bornova-Izmir, 226 pp. [2nd Edition, 2008]. 3. Disi, A. M., Modry, D., Necas, P. & Rifai, L. (2001). Amphibians and Reptiles of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Edition Chimaira, 408 pp. 4. Grzimek, B., (2003). Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia, Second Edition Volume 6 Amphibians. Schlager Group Inc. 507 pp.