Common Worm Snake

Common Worm Snake, Richard’s Blind Snake (Eng.), Víbora Común (Sp.), Typhlops richardi (Sci.). Native species occurring in the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, US and British Virgin Islands and the Puerto Rican archipelago including Culebra.

Photo: © Fr. Alejandro Sánchez, www.kingsnake.com. Information compiled by Alan Mowbray, Interpretive Media Writer, EYNF/LEF

General Information

Taxonomy: Class – Reptilia; Order – Squamata; Family – Typhlopidae; Genus – Typhlops; Species – T. richardi. A small, blind burrowing snake species.

Description

T. richardi is a small snake, typically no more than 12 inches (30 centimeters) in length. It can be recognized by its rounded snout, depressed head and large number of body scales. The dorsal (upper body) color is brown, with each scale darker at the rear two thirds. The underbody is whitish and the dividing line between the two colors is scalloped and irregular. The rostral (beak-like) scale reduces in length from front to back, unlike similar Typhlops species such as T. platycephalus. The ear opening is absent and the eyes are vestigial (reduced in size and function) and concealed under scales. The short tail is tipped by a small, sharpened scale.

Habits

The Common Worm Snake is often found in the nests of termites and ants, upon which they feed, it is possible that their tight-fitting scales serve to protect them from the bites and stings of these insects. They also eat other small invertebrates and can be found under logs, old trees, palm tree stumps and rocks. Females typically lay three fairly large, elongated smooth eggs in loose soil lairs under rocks and stumps.

Habitat

T. richardi is known to inhabit the Greater Antilles islands, the Lesser Antilles islands, The Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas.

Conservation

The Common Worm Snake is listed as non-threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Additional Information

Biologist USDA Forest Service El Yunque National Forest HC-01 Box 13490 Rio Grande, PR 00745 787 888 1810

Rivero, Juan A. (1978), The Amphibians and Reptiles of Puerto Rico, University of Puerto Rico Press, San Juan, Puerto Rico, pp. 430, 431.