Genus · Leptotyphlopidae
Habrophallos
The genus Habrophallos contains a single species. It is not considered dangerous to humans.
About blind snakes
A tiny, burrowing blind snake from South America that spends almost its entire life underground.
Habrophallos is a genus in the family Leptotyphlopidae, the slender blind snakes or threadsnakes. The family contains some of the smallest snakes on Earth, and its members are highly specialized burrowers that live in soil and leaf litter. Habrophallos holds a single described species in our database, Habrophallos collaris, the Collared Blind Snake, a secretive South American snake known from very few records. Like other leptotyphlopids, it sits well outside the familiar groups of larger surface snakes and represents an ancient, fossorial lineage.
Members of this family are recognized in general terms by their small, worm-like bodies, smooth shiny scales that run uniformly around the body, a blunt head, and eyes reduced to tiny dark spots under the head scales. They are typically only a few inches long and thread-thin. Habrophallos follows this body plan, and the common name Collared Blind Snake points to a contrasting band of color near the neck. Because the genus is poorly studied and known from limited material, the safe approach is to identify it by family-level features and locality rather than by fine details that have not been well documented.
Blind snakes in this family are harmless to people. They are not venomous, they do not bite in any meaningful way, and their tiny mouths are built for feeding on the eggs, larvae, and soft bodies of ants and termites, which they hunt inside underground nests. Many leptotyphlopids lay small clutches of eggs and spend their lives buried, surfacing mainly after heavy rain. There is no danger here, but the right move with any blind snake is to leave it undisturbed and let it return to the soil. If you are ever uncertain about a snake's identity or a possible bite, contact US Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or your local emergency services.
Habrophallos belongs to the Leptotyphlopidae family (Slender blindsnakes (threadsnakes)). Among the smallest snakes in the world, thin as a thread. Extremely thin and worm-like, uniformly colored, with vestigial eyes. Resembles a shiny piece of string.
Danger: Harmless. No venom and far too small to harm a person.
All species (1)
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