Little Grey Snake
Posted by Mike Hughes on June 11, 2007
Q: Today my son found a little snake about 4 inches long in the flower garden of our front yard. It was shiny and grey with a little bit of white on the belly. It was hard to tell which end was the head since it was smooth the entire length, didn't appear to have eyes, and the tail was slightly larger. It looked like a grey earthworm. We realized it was a snake when we saw the tongue. It doesn't look like the pictures of worm snakes or earth snakes I've seen. What kind of snake is this?
Habitat: suburban/yard
State: Florida
Habitat: suburban/yard
A: I think you found a Brahminy Blind Snake, one of the smallest snakes in the world. Native to southeastern Asia, Brahminy Blind Snakes have been widely introduced across Florida. It is thought they have been introduced via the soil of imported plants. There are only females — these animals reproduce by parthenogenesis: cell division occurs without sperm, and the offspring are effectively "clones" of the mother. They eat termite and ant eggs, larvae and pupae. These snakes are roughly two inches (5cm) at hatching.
Here are several links:
Solon Morse ( June 12, 2007)