Interior Blind Snake

Anilios endoterus is commonly known as the interior blind snake. It is one of 42 species of snake in the genus Anilios (Ramphotyphlops) from the Typhlopidae family living in Australia. These snakes appear to be blind, having vestigial eyes that are extremely sensitive to light. It is a cryptic burrowing snake that lives in tunnels underground, living mainly on a diet of ants. They are found in arid and semi-arid desert regions of central Australia and are considered endangered in New South Wales (NSW).

Description

Anilios endoterus is a terrestrial subterranean species of burrowing snake that has a worm-like appearance. Like many other snakes in the Typhlopidae family, the eyes of the interior blind snake are vestigial and appear like small, dark eye-spots under the scales of their head and are mainly used to detect light.

The dorsal side is brown or reddish-brown with a paler coloured snout, and its underbelly has a white or creamish appearance. The body is covered in smooth, tight-fitting shiny scales that are similar in size and are thick to help protect them from the stings and bites from ants. The tail is typically short with a small spur at the end that helps with anchorage and to push itself forward in the soil and tunnels underground. These snakes are moderately slender and uniform in thickness that grow to an average of 25 cm to a maximum of approximately 40 cm.

They are distinguishable from the 22 scales around the middle of the body, and they have between 406 and 438 ventral (belly) scales. the snout is weakly trilobed from above and bluntly angular in profile, and its mouth is small and is beneath the overhanging snout. The nasal clefts also extend from preocular scale to nostril, or to rostral scale.

Ecological studies

The genus Anilios is recognized as the most diverse and species rich genus in the Typhlopidae family, and the most abundant genus of Australian snakes. However, blind snakes in general, remain poorly studied and understood in Australia. Detecting and observing the interior blind snake in the wild is challenging for scientists. Their cryptic nature, low densities, similar appearance to other species within the genus, and the fact that this snake spends most of its time underground, have all led to this species remaining one of the most elusive vertebrates in the world.

Studies in behaviour and basic biological functions, such as courtship and mating, have still not been comprehensively documented. Consequently, assumptions about this species is based on the observations of others within the genus. For example, females in this genus tend to be much longer and thicker than the males. We also know that this species has nocturnal habits, as it is extremely sensitive to light, and they are mostly seen above ground at night foraging for food. They have also been observed on the surface at night after heavy rain.

Taxonomy