Weird, weird, weird.....

crimsonking · 04-22-03, 07:02 PM

not colubrids, these Brahminy blind snakes are primitive little serpents. The species is all female and can either lay eggs or bear live young! Sorry for the lousy pic, but I'm not sure how to pose these little critters. There's 3 here in the bottom of a deli cup. Did I say weird??

Tim and Julie B · 04-22-03, 07:05 PM

say what? Eggs or live! I thought it was one or the other not both! I love this site I learn something new everyday. What do they eat? How big do they get?

Trace · 04-22-03, 07:08 PM

They look like dried up earthworms!!!

Thanks for the pic! Those are interesting snakes, are they a burrowing species? I'm going to have to look for some info on those guys.

Cheers!

Trace

crimsonking · 04-22-03, 07:10 PM

They feed on eggs, larvae or adult termites and the like. These are adults! Maybe 4.5"!! Head and tail are hard to tell apart. They kinda wedge into the ground with the tail sometimes. Introduced from S.E. Asia in ornamental plants etc. now are all over the world in suitable climes. Found these guys while digging around. Rhamphotyphlops braminus.

Tim and Julie B · 04-22-03, 07:14 PM

Ok that is truly the wierdest thing I have seen today! You can find them in Florida? I think everything can live in Florida. I have a book that list Tokays as a native species to Florida. They eat bugs? weird!

04-22-03, 07:16 PM

Wow! Awesome snakes crimsonking! Look what I found tonight

Still looking for an indigo pal! I will find one! I WILL!

crimsonking · 04-22-03, 07:20 PM

Jeff, are you keeping any of the ringnecks? I keep a few each year just to watch 'em lay and to hatch the eggs. You gotta see a hatchling ringneck! Smaller than these blind snakes! They are fun though (ringnecks) and if thesouthern ringneck got 3' I'd give up all of my others and just have them! (well maybe) got 3'
:Mark

gonesnakee · 04-22-03, 07:50 PM

Heh Crimsonking, I think you posted a picture of your fishing bait by mistake! LOL Mark I.

Bryce Masuk · 04-22-03, 08:02 PM

ringnecks are cool I love the bright colored bellys

Vanan · 04-23-03, 02:28 AM

Ack! I love Typhlopidae! I'm hoping to get an ant colony going but first gotta find the right species of ants. Lucky you Mark!! I've always wanted to see some!

ReptiZone · 04-23-03, 04:14 AM

You were right about one thing they are a singel sex snake but they can not choose how they reproduce the are ovoviviparous (they lay eggs) all the baby are females and once the snake is sexualy mature the start to lay firtile eggs with out the need of a male ( every womans dream heheheh). Any way I thaught you were wrong so I looked it up for thows that have the book by Chris Mattison called snake (it has a big blood python on the cover) it is at page 31

eyespy · 04-23-03, 07:40 AM

Aren't some of the folks here bound by a no snake over 2 feet bylaw? These funky little dudes would be perfect for them!

crimsonking · 04-23-03, 12:37 PM

Jeez, Chondro python, the book I have here "Field Guide to Snakes Of Florida" Tenant '97, states that :they are" egg laying AND live bearing. Also parthenogenic, for R.braminus is unisexual-an all female species in which the ova begin cell division without spermatozoa, producingup to 8 genetically-identical offspring that may be either born alive or deposited as eggs between April and June." Not to pick, but since I haven't any first-hand knowledge, I quoted directly from that book. Could you give date of publication of Mattison's book for me? I have some others (older) and one by Mattison that I have used as a guide for many years. We'll have to find someone with first hand knowledge! And since I have them, well, we'll see. Maybe I'll have some li'l ones later in the year.LOL!

Hamster of Borg · 04-23-03, 01:05 PM

Blind snakes are weird little things, you'd overlook them as an earth worm when flipping tin if you didn't know exactly what to look for.

Here's a couple shots of a Texas blind snake I 'caught' last weekend. They're actually supposedly pretty common in TX, but this is the first one I've come across - and saw it for what it was that is.

Ham

crimsonking · 04-23-03, 01:23 PM

Ham, thanks for the MUCH better pics! My cheapo digital has "close up" but no macro or anything. Plus, the flash washed out most pics. Texas blinds are a little larger huh?Can you enlighten us any on the birth /egg laying of the Brahminy blind snake? (not the Tx.) Thanks. Killer shots!
:Mark