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Texas Blind Snake
(Leptotyphlops dulcis)
| Identification: Body slender, somewhat
wormlike in appearance; scales smooth (unkeeled) and shiny, with those on
belly same size as scales on back; eyes evident only as dark spots; short
spine at tip of tail; maximum total length 29 cm (11.4 inches).
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Colorado Distribution: Known from a few locations in
southeastern Colorado. Secretive, burrowing species; abundance
uncertain.
Habitat:
Has been found on canyon slopes and
bottoms, including areas with piņon pine, junipers, and various shrubs; usually
in damp, loose soil among and under rocks; apparently moves deeper underground
when the surface soil becomes dry in summer.
Life History:
Females deposit eggs, often communally,
in June or July. They attend the eggs during incubation. Ant and termites
dominate the diet. Rarely seen in the open, but does sometimes crawl on the
surface at night.
Revised: July 24, 2003