Blackish Blind Snake

About the Blackish Blind Snake

Adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA.

Frequently asked: Blackish Blind Snake

Is the Blackish Blind Snake venomous?

No. The Blackish Blind Snake (Anilios nigrescens) is non-venomous and is not considered dangerous to humans. Like most snakes, it will retreat rather than bite when given the chance.

Is the Blackish Blind Snake poisonous?

Snakes are venomous, not poisonous. "Poisonous" means harmful to eat or touch; "venomous" means injecting toxins through a bite. The Blackish Blind Snake is neither poisonous nor venomous.

Is the Blackish Blind Snake dangerous?

The Blackish Blind Snake is not dangerous to humans. It has no medically significant venom and bites only defensively if cornered or handled.

Where does the Blackish Blind Snake live?

The Blackish Blind Snake has verified records in 1 country, including Australia. See the distribution section below for its full range.

What does the Blackish Blind Snake eat?

The species lives most of its life underground feeding on ants, termites and their larvae. To find their food they flick their tongue to pick up the scent of an ant or termite trail and follow it back to the nest, where they rake the ants into their mouth using their upper jaw and swallow the food whole.

Where it is found

More Typhlopidae snakes

• 
  Prong-snouted Blind Snake
  Anilios bituberculatus
• 
  Southern Blind Snake
  Anilios australis
• 
  Dark-spined Blind Snake
  Anilios bicolor
• 
  Long-beaked Blind Snake
  Anilios grypus
• 
  Interior Blind Snake
  Anilios endoterus
• 
  Robust Blind Snake
  Anilios ligatus
• 
  Rotund Blind Snake
  Anilios pinguis
• 
  North-eastern Blind Snake
  Anilios torresianus

Classification

How scientists group this snake, from the broadest category down to the exact species. Each step narrows to its closest relatives.

OrderThe broad group of scaled reptiles: all snakes and lizards

Squamata

FamilyA group of related snakes that share key traits

Typhlopidae

GenusA close-knit group of very similar species

Anilios

SpeciesThis exact snake, named in the two-part scientific name

Anilios nigrescens

Keep learning

• What to Do If You Find a SnakeFound a snake at home or on a trail? Here is how to stay calm, give it space, identify it safely, and know when to call a professional.
• Venomous vs Nonvenomous: How to Tell the DifferenceThe folk rules for telling venomous snakes apart, where each one fails, and why location-based identification beats guessing by sight.
• What Is a Snake? Anatomy and the BasicsA clear overview of what makes a snake a snake: limbless body plan, anatomy, evolution from lizards, species diversity, and why they are ectothermic.
• How to Keep Snakes Out of Your Yard and HomeA practical guide to keeping snakes out of your yard and home using habitat changes that work, plus what to skip and what to do if one shows up.