Blind Snakes: Museum Victoria

i i go to gwynneville in wollongong australia i caught 3 blind snakes under a rock borrowed in the soily molch i scared everey girl +boy it was about 30cm long and as thick as a thumb

i took a picture of a blind snake in san mateo county USA during the day at 10;00 am would you like to see them !

Hi Oscar,

Thanks for your offer! The Discovery Centre can certainly pass on the images you took of a blind snake to our Herpetology Curator. You can send any images and information to the Discovery Centre via our Ask the Experts enquiry form.

we found a Ramphotyphlops proximus in a swimming pool in Mildura Vic. It was only approx 15cms long. A beautiful animal.

Last night my neighbour found a blind snake in her bathroom in Gawler, South Australia. It was correctly identified by my son who is an Environmental Scientist.

We encountered a blind snake swimming accross Cudgera Creek NSW. We thought it was a worm at first but after careful inspection, discovered it was actually a snake! It was approx. 25-30cm long and a beautiful dark brown/black colour with a silver belly.

Just caught a nigrescens at KYLIES BEACH NSW North Coast

my sister also found a australis blind snake in her swimming pool after days of heavy rain in north central victoria. Any theories on rain bringing them out of the ground?

While transplanting some potted plant i found a baby blind snake. I live in Darwin, NT are blind snakes usually found in the NT?

Sappy, it is generally very difficult to "unearth" blind snakes, who like to remain underground; however, heavy rains will obviously disrupt all burrowing species in a certain area, for a time. And Selina, there are numerous blind snake species in the Northern Territory; in fact, blind snakes love tropical environments, and there is even a species known as the Darwin Blind Snake. Hope this helps!

Hi, Was wondering if or how i could be able to have one of these fantastic snakes. I understand that you require a permit but i am unsure as to what type. I have been reading up on them and have come to the conclusion that they and not a well documented spices. I would love to try and see if i could answere the unanswered. Any help with this would be fantastic. Thanks Kelly.

Hi Kelly, consider joining a Herpetologist Society, such as the Australian Herpetological Society. You can find contact details here: http://www.ahs.org.au/

Hi. I live at the bottom of the Toowoomba Range in Queensland. I just went out into my Kitchen and found what appeared to be a Blind Snake of about 35cm long. The head of the snake is very similar to the pictures above, however, it had bright red and black bands across it similar to a coral snake. I picked it up by the tail and took it outside and released it into the garden. I have never seen a Blind Snake with such markings. Does anyone know if this is common?

Gee...You could have had it Kelly....

can they be found in SA cause I saw exaclly the first pic in my garden as I was digging a hole are they venemous and are they scared.Hope to hear back from u and plz dont publish my email adress its just me and my mum want to know about this snake. Thanx.

Hi Jasmine, Ramphotyphlops australis is found in the drier parts of Southern Australia and so would be found in parts of South Australia. These snakes are not venomous and are nothing to worry about.

My cat has bought 3 of these snakes into the house over the last 12months, We live in Ballina Northern NSW. I am glad I finally found out what they are, i am pretty sure they are the Nigrescens

Just found a snake in my bedroom.Rang hubby to tell him to come home from the club and he came home with 4 burly mates with shovels at the ready. Finally found it under a cupboard and it turned out to be a blind snake ( after googling) about 40cm long.He will be released into the garden in the morning. I was convinced it was a brown snake ( first encounter with a snake)and was ready to rip everything out of my bedroom. Now I can sleep peacefully...phew!!!

We think we found a blind snake in our kitchen, under the fridge. It was wedged between the floating timber floor and bottom of the fridge. It finally let go and we took it outside and put it in the garden. I wonder how it got inside?

i found a blind snake in my pond freaked out coz i hate snakes didnt know mt magnet had them? its the 3rd one i have seen in my pond in the last few months cound this mean they are nesting and planning to stay

Hi Jane, good to hear your interesting story, I can only think of one other person who has contacted us regarding a blind snake in or near the house. I can only assume it made its own way in, but please be very careful in case what you are seeing is not a blind snake but a juvenile venomous snake.

Hi Kristy,

Blind snakes are found throughout Australia (except Tasmania). The are not venomous and no threat – the are burrowing snakes, so not commonly seen on the surface. However, it is most common to see them on the surface following rain.

After a week of flooding rain I've discovered a blind snake in my garage at Matcham, NSW. It was very small and at first I thought it was a large earthworm sqirming around on the concrete. After grabing a torch I discovered it had scales.

Ive just found a bunch of them (6)in an old small pile of wood chip under tarp . Beautiful, 30cm long shinie farst and squirmie.Right in the heart of suburbia breeding?feasting?-hardly any ants around.-any ideas.

Hi Suryo, so little is known about the biology of blind snakes. One possibility is that over winter large numbers of these snakes may rely on each other thermally to survive. The other possibility is that some snakes are known to form large breeding groups in Spring.

I found a blind snake today near Cooyar, Queensland. There was also an egg beside it. How big are the blind snakes eggs?? This one would have to be 5-8mm long and maybe 3mm across, would this be blind snake egg??

There was one in our living room tonight. Thought it was a baby brown snake to start with. I'm sure the cats had a hand in bringing it in! I'm on the North Shore in Sydney, and have never seen one before. Don't necessarily want to see one again either!

Hi Meaghan, our Curator of Herpetology has said that seems small for a blind snake egg. However, their eggs can vary significantly in size, depending on the size of the species (larger species lay larger eggs) – some of the very small species have quite small eggs but this still seems very small if it was only 3mm across. Is it possible that this might be an insect egg? Blind snakes eat insect eggs and larvae.

Alice Springs. Have you an N.T. page? I dug a silvery blue one up in my composted vegie garden. It was the fastest moving giant "worm" that I had ever seen. The local nature expert put me on the right track. According to further research these snakes are common in soft earth. I see Selina in Darwin had one.

Hi Dennis, if you see another one of these snakes, try and take a photo, we can then help you out with an identification.

We found a blind snake in Austinmer NSW

i found what i'm guessing is a blind snake whilst getting dirt out of my compost thought it was a snake at first but it kept trying to bury itself back into the soil. It was about a foot long hope not to see any others around.I live in the Sutherland area, Sydney

We had a blind snake in our basement last night after some rain. We are in Griffith NSW. It was about 30cm long and a uniform deep brown colour. It looked like a large worm at first!

Hi we found a blind snake in our Woronora Heights (Sydney) garage this morning. Hubby thought it was a worm. After getting on the net we were relieved to find out it is completely harmless. It is now back in our front garden eating the ants (hopefully no termites). It was very cute and I am glad I didn't let my husband kill it. He was worried there was a big mother snake somewhere round.

Hi we found a blind snake last night on our back step we live near Katandra Vic, we knew it wasnt a baby brown as it didnt have the black markings on its head like others we have found, we took it to the vets to identify it but they had no idea what it was, we contacted a snake catcher and he met us in Shepparton and was able to let us know what type it was, thanks go to Craig for his help, he took it home then rang us back with more info on the Blind snake and then he released it

Hi as for the person above Jenny from Katandra Vic after they gave me the blind snake to identify for them I had a call from the kyabram fauna park asking me to go and collect another blind snake and I have been through my list of snakes and no where in the list does it tell me what the species name and code is so I rang the D.S.E. to find out but they have not heard of this snake and because it is not on their list these blind snakes may have to be destroyed which is not what i wish to do so can you help me with this problem and I am glad I could help you Jenny.

i was absolutely terrified when my 5 yr old son came out and told be there was a snake in his bedroom in Wasleys SA he had been bitten by a spider yesterday and now a snake in his room what next lol how long do these snakes live and is it normal for them to be this far south? could it be around above ground in the daylight because of the locusts that are everywhere at the moment? i would really love some more info if anyone could help

Hi Jasmine - We can't confirm that the snake in your son's bedroom was a blind snake based on the information you have provided. If you are able to get a photograph of the animal, do feel free to send it to us through our free identification service. It is advisable to treat any snake as potentially venomous without confirmed identification - please contact a local snake removal service for assistance, rather than approaching it yourself.

I had an underground spotting in a dug-out home in Coober Pedy, SA. After some concern as to what exactly the little critter was, Dad managed to pick up this seemingly sedate wiggling creature with tongs and then set it free outside some metres away from the house. When released, dad realised that what had initially looked like a worm, moved much faster and more snake-like than was expected. A local friend mentioned Blind snakes, and after a good ol'google I found this page, and "wolah" I'm 99% sure it was a Blind Snake due to the tubular-like head and colourings (Ramphotyphlops bituberculatus - maybe?!). Being in a dug-out, I presume it is possible that I will continue to get these wiggly little visitors, due to their burrowing nature, however, whilst they are harmless to humans I am not particularly keen on welcoming them with open arms. What is the best way to handle them(when a dad is not present)to remove them from the dug-out? And, approximately how long do they live for? Thank :)

Hi Sarah,

Sounds like your father handled it very well. Picking up with tongs & putting in a bucket to carry outside or even using a dust-pan broom to gently sweep it into a bucket is a good way of moving a blind snake without having to touch it while not harming it. A bucket is tall enough that a small blind snake will not be able to get up the sides. Very little is known about the biology of blind snakes, so to be honest I don't know how long they live for.

We spotted what we thought was a snake while we were away on the weekend in Toolleen near Heathcote,Vic.It was silvery grey and moving very quickly but had a rounded head and tail which made us wonder if it was a snake at all. After googling we think it was a Ramphotyphlops proximus, also the fact that it was night time and we have alot of ants nests around the propery. It was a beautiful creature and hearing how they are not often seen, we think we are really lucky. We just wish we had taken a photo, didn't think of it during the initial panic!!!!

i got a blind snake

We came across one sbout 50cms long that looked exactly like a darker version of nigrescens....it was 2pm in a rainforest in Mt Tambourine, Qld. and was crossing a path in semi-sunlight with light rain falling as well. This happened today....16th April. It was 15mm at least in thickness and extremely shiny...I actually thought it was the worlds largest legless lizard!!!!

found a blind snake the other day near jeparit in victoria. strange feeling holding them

My step-daughter found a 40cm Blind snake here in Perth (WA) near her garage. It had been underground and when it appeared it was a creamy colour then started to change to a slightly darker shade. Didn't know what it was, so she took it down to her vet who confirmed what it was, and not at all venemous, because she was worried that her children might get bitten. Yes, they are a strange looking creature! She also lives near bushland which has many ants and scorpions etc.

I stay in Guam and it's know for Brown tree snakes me and my family wennt camping and after coming home and unpacking noticed a browm thing under my bathroom carpet picked the carpet up and it looked just like a shinny worm but didn't move like a worm thought it was a baby tree snake but it looked very strange the head and back looked the same and really couldnt see the eyes cause so tiny you could also see it open it's mouth and a little tounge I'm really scared of snakes and wonder if one was in my home could there be more I have kids and don't want them in danger

Hi Ramona - without a photograph, we wouldn't be able to tell you what sort of creature you had in your bathroom. If you are located in Guam, you might like to contact a local wildlife authority or zoo for further assistance.

Once when I was in Broome (WA) I found this blind snake It was so strange at the time I did not know it was a blind snake everyone ( the backpackers) thought it was a baby brown snake. We did not kill it though believing that it just may not be a brown snake. If you found one is there a chance that there could be more around?

found a worm looking creature in my living room on 19 th floor in Shanghai! When wanting to remove the "worm" started to move in a snake like patern, that's when we noticed that it was very shiny, almost black snake of about 25 cm. Is it normal ti find one in Shanghai and on 19th floor!!! How on earth did it get here? Is there a chance we have a nest in our plants?

Hi Georgina,

Where you find one you may find more - there is likely to be a healthy breeding population in the area. Blind snakes are wonderful creatures but are seen only rarely, though more often after rain.

Heidi; sorry we can't really help with this; 19th-floor Shanghai snakes are not something we have expertise on - you might want to contact a local natural history museum for more information, such as the Shanghai Natural History Museum at http://www.sstm.org.cn/kjg_Web/html/defaultsite/portal/index/index.htm

Hope this helps

foud a blind snake in my compost bin scared me at first . will he or she stay there?northern rivers nsw

can you please tell me what to feed a blind snake my friends son has one and they are unsure what to feed it and how often thanks

Hi Raylene, blind snakes are protected in Victoria and they are not permitted to be kept by the general public. Many species of reptiles can be kept with permits, but not blind snakes. It’s also illegal to collect any reptiles from the wild without appropriate permits, and these are issued very judiciously. If your friend is in Victoria and has collected them from the wild, they’ll need to contact the Department of Sustainability and Environment and/or return the snakes to where they were collected. If they live outside Victoria, please ask them to check the regulations with the local wildlife authorities. The diet of blind snakes is mostly ants or termites, but most species prefer the eggs of bullants.

This is the second blind snake we have found.We first thought it was a baby brown snake.We then looked them up to discover what they were.We then let them go.We live in Finley N.S.W.

My cat has brought in a blind snake for the last 2 nights in a row, different ones, they were different sizes. i live on the central coast of NSW Australia.

I've just found a blind snake in my pool cleaner collector bag, unfortunately dead. At first I thought it was a baby brown snake that had had it's head bitten off or severed. Upon very close inspection you can just see it's mouth and tiny eyes. It's approx 30cm long & 8mm in diameter. It is brown with a silver underside. I live in Belrose NSW. BTW Great website!

I always find heaps of them when i am digging up the garden and there eggs also. I live on the central coast NSW

We found one this morning in my bedroom in Agery on the Yorke Peninsula (south Australia) Little bugga had me scared until I had him correctly identified

Found a dead one on Lower Eyre Peninsula (Tumby Bay, South Australia) earlier today and have seen them in the same area on our farm.

i found one in NSW dead in my pool

We live in a little town caller Ariah Park in the Riverina region in NSW and last night one of my kittens carried in what we thought to be a brown snake then we found another slightly bigger one moments later inside my front door. My grandson captured and saved both and are now sitting on my desk so I can try to identify them with the help of google and pics above.. I feel I am safe to say that the 2 little slitherers in question are in fact blind snakes and shall be returned to the scrub without harm.. I have taken photographs but unsure how to post them on your site.

Hello Gail,

The Discovery Centre can identify specimens and objects that relate to Museum Victoria's Collections and Research areas of Science, Indigenous Cultures and Australian History and Technology.

Before submitting your identification request, please read our guidelines for using our identification service.

Follow this link to our on-line form and scroll to the end to submit identification requests – there is a section where you can also upload photographs.

hi we found a snake heading towards my bedroom we took it to a snake handler and he told us it was a blind snake its now its in a tank with soil in it. it gapes around the lid not big enough to let the snake ecape though just want to know can we bye food for it hey ?

Hi Joel,

Blind snakes are protected in Victoria and they are not permitted to be kept by the general public. Many species of reptiles can be kept with permits, but not blind snakes. It’s also illegal to collect any reptiles from the wild without appropriate permits, and these are issued very judiciously. If you are in Victoria and has collected them from the wild, you need to contact the Department of Sustainability and Environment and/or return the snakes to where they were collected. If you live outside Victoria, please check the regulations with the local wildlife authorities. The diet of blind snakes is mostly ants or termites, but most species prefer the eggs of bullants.

Blind Snakes Ramphotyphlops spp.

Snakes of Victoria series

Further Reading

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