Types of blind snakes

Myriopholis belongs to the family Leptotyphlopidae, the slender blind snakes or thread snakes. This is one of the families of fossorial, or burrowing, snakes that spend almost their entire lives underground. Members of the family are among the smallest snakes on Earth, with bodies that are extremely thin, cylindrical, and covered in tightly fitted, glossy scales that let them slide easily through soil. Our database lists 10+ species in the genus, including the Hook-snouted Worm Snake, the Long-tailed Thread Snake, the Gambia Blind Snake, and Nurse's Blind Snake.

These snakes are native to the Old World, with the genus centered on Africa and extending into the Middle East and parts of southwestern Asia. They live in soil, sand, leaf litter, and under rocks, logs, and other ground cover, favoring warm regions including dry savanna, scrub, and semi-arid country. Because they stay buried for so much of their lives, they are seldom seen except when heavy rain, plowing, or turned-over debris brings them briefly to the surface.

Recognizing a Myriopholis comes down to family-level traits rather than bold markings. They are very small and pencil-thin, often only a few inches long, with a blunt, rounded head that is barely distinct from the neck and a short tail that may end in a tiny spine. The eyes are reduced to dark spots beneath the head scales, which is the source of the 'blind snake' name, since vision is of little use underground. The body is uniform and shiny, usually pink, brown, grey, or purplish, and the smooth scales give the whole animal a polished, worm-like look. Distinguishing one thread snake species from another is a job for close examination of scale counts, not field color.

Thread snakes are completely harmless to people. They are non-venomous, they are not rear-fanged, and their mouths are so small that they cannot meaningfully bite a human. They have no venom delivery system and pose no medical danger. The sensible response to finding one is simply to leave it alone or gently move it back to cover, both for the animal's sake and because small burrowing snakes are easy to misidentify. If any wild snake bites a person and the species is uncertain, contact local emergency services or US Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.

Ecologically, Myriopholis are specialist predators of ants and termites and their larvae and eggs, hunting them inside nests and tunnels. Their smooth scales, blunt head, and small size are all adaptations for moving through tight underground spaces and resisting the bites of the social insects they raid. Like other leptotyphlopids, they reproduce by laying eggs, and they are most active when conditions are warm and moist. As quiet, soil-dwelling insect hunters, they play a useful role in controlling ant and termite populations.