Texas slender blind snake, Texas threadsnake
The Texas blind snake (Rena dulcis) is a fossorial species of snake in the family Leptotyphlopidae. All members of this family are fossorial and adapted to burrowing, feeding on ants and termites
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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FossorialA fossorial animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, ...
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PolygynandryPolygynandry is a mating system in which both males and females have multiple mating partners during a breeding season.
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Non-venomousSo
SolitaryNo
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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HibernatingHibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy charac...
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starts withThe Texas blind snake appears much like a shiny earthworm. It is pinkish-brown (puce) in color with a deep sheen to its scales. It appears not to be segmented. The eyes are no more than two dark dots under the head scales. Unique among snakes, their upper jaws contain no teeth, and the lower jaw is incredibly short (less than half the length of the skull).
Adults can grow to approximately 27 cm (11 in) in total length, including the tail.
These snakes can be found only in the Southwestern United States and adjacent northern Mexico. In the USA they occur in southwestern Kansas, western Oklahoma including the panhandle, central and southern Texas, and west through southern New Mexico to southeastern Arizona. In northern Mexico, they are found in Chihuahua, Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí, Veracruz, Querétaro, Hidalgo, and Puebla. Texas blind snakes inhabit arid and semi-arid areas with sandy soils, usually near moisture, including rocky and sandy deserts, mountain slopes, shrubland, savanna, forests, open grassy plains, and in rural gardens.
Texas blind snakes spend most of their time buried in loose soil, only emerging to feed or when it rains and their habitat floods with water. They often come out after spring rains and are mistaken for an earthworm. If handled these snakes usually squirm around and try to poke the tip of their tail into the handler. This is a completely harmless maneuver and likely serves as a distractive measure. Their mouth is far too small to effectively bite a human being. Texas blind snakes are solitary and active at night. During the winter they enter a period of hibernation.
Texas blind snakes are carnivores and eat primarily termite and ant larvae.
Texas blind snakes are polygynandrous (promiscuous); both the males and the females have multiple partners and find each other using pheromones. They breed between late March and June in Texas. Females nest in cracks in the earth and lay 1 to 6 eggs.
Texas blind snakes are not threatened at present but like many other native Texas species, they are affected by the red imported fire ants.
According to IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Texas blind snake is unknown but probably exceeds 100,000 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.