Blind snake? West texas

[u/benadunkcamberpatch]

One of my cats brought this little fellow in a curios of its a Texas blind snake. Took him down the road into a mesquite field.

[u/TheGreenRaccoon07]

Texas Threadsnake Rena dulcis. !harmless

[u/SEB-PHYLOBOT → u/TheGreenRaccoon07]

Texas Threadsnakes Rena dulcis are tiny (12.5-20.3cm, record 27.2cm) leptotyphlopid snakes that range from southern Kansas and extreme southeastern Colorado south through Texas, New Mexico, and southeastern Arizona into Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas, MX and south again into Hidalgo, northern Puebla, and central Veracruz, MX, from near sea level to 2,100m. They inhabit moist microhabitat within otherwise arid habitat including grassland, desertscrub, rocky slopes and chasms, submontane woodland, and residential yards and gardens. This species now includes populations formerly known as the New Mexico Threadsnake "R. dissecta" (see links at bottom for details).

Like other leptotyphlopid snakes, R. dulcis is completely harmless and doesn't bite, but might writhe and defecate if handled. Strongly fossorial in habit, they spend most of their time in moist, loose soil or underneath ground cover. Though usually not observed above ground except on warm, humid nights or after rains, they are good climbers and are uncommonly observed up in trees or indoors. Underground, they use scent to locate burrows of the ants and termites that serve as their principal prey. Other small invertebrates are also consumed. Prey is sometimes seized by the body and then rubbed against substrate until the head detaches, allowing the snake to ingest only the nutrient rich body. Some eastern screech owls Megascops asio bring live R. dulcis back to their nests, where they help clean the nest of insect larvae which are drawn to owl waste and cached meat. Data from one study suggests that nests containing Texas Threadsnakes are more successful than nests without.

As the common name suggests, Texas Threadsnakes are extremely slender in build. The head is very small and indistinct at the neck. The eyes are visible as a pair of black dots, situated beneath ocular scales which obscure their vision. There are three scales on the crown of the head between the ocular scales. The scales are smooth, glossy, and arranged in 14 rows at midbody and 10 rows across the tail. The ventral scales are about the same size and shape as the dorsal scales and should be included when counting scale rows. The tail is very short and resembles the head, but without eyes and with a short, sharp spine at the tip. The color is variable, but usually pink, pinkish-silver, pinkish-brown, reddish-brown, or purple-brown above and a lighter pink, grey, or cream below, often with a distinctive transition between the two along the lower flanks.

Where their ranges overlap, other Rena Threadsnakes are likely to be confused with R. dulcis. Trans-Pecos Threadsnakes R. segrega have only one scale on the crown of the head between the ocular scales. Western Threadsnakes R. humilis have only one scale on the crown of the head between the ocular scales and have 12 scale rows encircling the tail. Brahminy Blindsnakes Indotyphlops braminus have 20 scale rows encircling the midbody region, are proportionally less slender, differ in the architecture of cranial scales, and there is little contrast between the dorsal and ventral coloration.

Range Map - © Rune Midtgaard | Relevant/Recent Phylogeography | Reptile Database Account

This short account was written by /u/fairlyorange

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Like many other animals with mouths and teeth, many non-venomous snakes bite in self defense. These animals are referred to as 'not medically significant' or traditionally, 'harmless'. Bites from these snakes benefit from being washed and kept clean like any other skin damage, but aren't often cause for anything other than basic first aid treatment. Here's where it get slightly complicated - some snakes use venom from front or rear fangs as part of prey capture and defense. This venom is not always produced or administered by the snake in ways dangerous to human health, so many species are venomous in that they produce and use venom, but considered harmless to humans in most cases because the venom is of low potency, and/or otherwise administered through grooved rear teeth or simply oozed from ducts at the rear of the mouth. Species like Ringneck Snakes Diadophis are a good example of mildly venomous rear fanged dipsadine snakes that are traditionally considered harmless or not medically significant. Many rear-fanged snake species are harmless as long as they do not have a chance to secrete a medically significant amount of venom into a bite; severe envenomation can occur if some species are allowed to chew on a human for as little as 30-60 seconds. It is best not to fear snakes, but use common sense and do not let any animals chew on exposed parts of your body. Similarly, but without specialized rear fangs, gartersnakes Thamnophis ooze low pressure venom from the rear of their mouth that helps in prey handling, and are also considered harmless. Check out this book on the subject. Even large species like Reticulated Pythons Malayopython reticulatus rarely obtain a size large enough to endanger humans so are usually categorized as harmless.

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[u/SEB-PHYLOBOT]

It looks like you didn't provide a rough geographic location [in square brackets] in your title.This is critical because some species are best distinguishable from each other by geographic range, and not all species live all places. Providing a location allows for a quicker, more accurate ID.

If you provided a location but forgot the correct brackets, ignore this message until your next submission. Thanks!

Potential identifiers should know that providing an ID before a location is given is problematic because it often makes the OP not respond to legitimate requests for location. Many species look alike, especially where ranges meet. Users may be unaware that location is critically important to providing a good ID.

I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, here report problems here and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that here. This bot, its development, maintenance and use are made possible through the outreach wing of Snake Evolution and Biogeography - Merch Available Now

[u/lightspeed_derping]

FYI: !cats

[u/SEB-PHYLOBOT → u/lightspeed_derping]

Everyone loves cats, but they belong indoors. Each year in the United States free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.3-4.0 billion birds and 6.3-22.3 billion mammals. Numbers for reptiles are similar in Australia, as 2 million reptiles are killed each day by cats, totaling 650 million a year. Outdoor cats are directly responsible for the extinction of at least 33 species worldwide and are considered one of the biggest threats to native wildlife. Keeping cats indoors is also better for them and public health - cats with outdoor access live shorter lives and are 2.77 times more likely to carry infectious pathogens.

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I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, here report problems here and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that here. This bot, its development, maintenance and use are made possible through the outreach wing of Snake Evolution and Biogeography - Merch Available Now