Appearances can sometimes be deceiving🤥. At first sight what may look like a large earthworm moving silently onto the floor through the leaf litter, turn out to be after more careful examination a unique and unusual species of snake🐍 — the Brahminy Blind Snake.
The Brahminy Blind Snake, 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘩𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘴 (Daudin, 1803), a species native from the Indian subcontinent which then spread into other Asian regions either naturally or with human assistance. Like many other hitchhiker👍 species, it benefited from soil transportation typically associated with potted plants to establish into new regions such as Australia, Oceania, Africa, North and Central America or Europe. Even in Hong Kong or other SE Asian regions, it is likely that this species may have been introduced early on through trade. This feat has actually granted it another common name: the flowerpot snake! Today, it stands as one of the most common and widely distributed snake species on the planet. The snakes inhabit moist areas, such as underground burrows, moist leaves, and humus in wet forests💦. Those habitats provide an endless supply of ants 🐜and termites, providing them with a bountiful meal. With a small body size of just 12 to 17 centimeters long, they are superficially similar to large earthworms, but the comparison stops here.
Unlike earthworms, the Brahminy Blind Snake possesses vestigial eyes👀 that have degenerated into two small black spots⚫️⚫️. These two small black eyes are, however, different from the pair of bright eyes of a normal snake. Because the blind snake has adopted an underground lifestyle, thus living in a dark environment, clear vision is rather useless🙈, so its eyes have gradually degenerated into two small black spots, which now have the sole function to sense light from darkness. This is also the origin of the name "Blind Snake". Furthermore, the blind snake's body is covered by scales that are similar in shape, facilitating its movement through the soil. Its adaptation to life underground also includes a hard skull and a mouth that opens and closes downward, preventing it from eating soil while burrowing⛏️.
Although the Brahminy Blind Snake lacks the powerful mouth and fangs🦷 seen in other snakes, it possesses a unique defense mechanism — a horny spine located at the tip of its tail📌. This spine can be used to poke attackers and protect the snake. Against larger animals on the ground, however, it proves as ineffective as scratching an itch😓.
How does this species proliferate then despite its weak attack power? It possesses a special reproduction strategy known as « Obligatory parthenogenesis », a feat unique in snakes. They are the only snakes in the world with only female individuals known, and thus no Brahminy Blind Snake male has ever been found. In short, they can develop embryos without fertilization. This astounding ability allows them to rapidly expand their populations without the need for courtship or mating rituals. Also, once introduced into a new region, no need for the opposite sex to find its way up to you as a single female can start reproducing on their own🤰! The benefit of this reproductive strategy is certain in terms of distribution and population growth.
But a recent study leaves with a major cliffhanger into our story⁉️ The obligatory parthenogenesis could be the result of the introduction process of this species into new regions. In fact the flowerpot snake, introduced all over the world could even be a distinct species of snake than the Brahminy Blind Snake, Indotyphlops braminus, native from India🤯. Ongoing and future research should provide exciting developments in the years to come. Did we not tell you that appearances could be deceiving?
Interested in meeting this prolific snake? Join a tour at the Hong Kong Biodiversity Museum to see this tiny but amazing snake. Hope you can find it !🔍
Text: Long
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