Types of blind snakes

Afrotyphlops is a genus of blind snakes in the family Typhlopidae, the largest family of blind snakes. The genus is restricted almost entirely to Africa, mostly south of the Sahara, and includes a range of fossorial species that spend nearly all of their lives underground. As the common name suggests, these are true blind snakes, part of the broad group of typhlopids that share a worm-like body plan and a life built around burrowing.

Members of Typhlopidae, including Afrotyphlops, are recognized by traits that set them apart from typical snakes. They have small, smooth, cylindrical bodies covered in tight glossy scales that are uniform around the body, a blunt head that is not distinct from the neck, and eyes reduced to dark spots under the head scales rather than functional eyes. The mouth is small and tucked underneath the snout, and the tail is short and often ends in a tiny spine. Some Afrotyphlops species are among the larger blind snakes, with a few reaching well over a foot in length, but they remain slender and worm-like throughout.

These snakes are burrowers found in soil, leaf litter, sandy ground, termite mounds, and similar moist or loose substrates across savanna, grassland, woodland, and forest-edge habitats. They are rarely seen on the surface except after heavy rain or when soil is disturbed, which is when most people encounter them. Their range spans much of sub-Saharan Africa, with different species occupying different regions of the continent.

Afrotyphlops blind snakes are harmless to people. They are not venomous, they are not rear-fanged, and their tiny mouths are built for feeding on soft-bodied invertebrates, not for biting humans. Their diet is dominated by ants and termites, including the eggs, larvae, and pupae they find inside nests, and they locate this prey by following chemical trails underground. Like many blind snakes, several Afrotyphlops species lay eggs. They pose no danger and are often mistaken for earthworms.

Even though these snakes are harmless, the general rule with any wild snake still applies: identification in the field is not always certain, so it is wise not to handle a wild snake you cannot confidently identify. If a person is ever bitten by a snake and there is any doubt about the species, treat it as a medical situation and contact emergency care. In the US that means Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or local emergency services, and elsewhere the equivalent local emergency number.