Jun 9, 2014
African blind-snake
Afrotyphlops lineolatus (Typhlopidae), a species of African blind-snake.
The blind snakes are small, worm-like burrowers. The tail is tipped with a small, sharp spine and the eyes appear as dark spots beneath the head scales.
These snakes are non-venomous and harmless. They cannot bite and have limited defensive capabilities. These include producing a pungent odour from the anal glands, vomiting up their last meal or prodding with the tail spine to produce an unpleasant prickling sensation.
Blind Snakes feed on termites and the larvae and pupae of ants.
Reference: [1] - [2]
Photo credit: ©Konrad Mebert
Locality: Banalia-Longala, Democratic Republic of the Congo