''Xerotyphlops vermicularis'', the European blind snake, European worm snake, Eurasian blind snake, or Eurasian worm snake, is a species of

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

in the genus ''

Xerotyphlops ''Xerotyphlops'' is a genus of snakes in the Family (biology), family Typhlopidae. Distribution The five species in this genus ''Xerotyphlops'' are found in the Palearctic realm, Palearctic.. www.reptile-database.org. Species The following spec ...

.'' Despite its common name, the range of the European blind snake ranges from the

Balkan Peninsula The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

, the Aegean Islands, and

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

. The northernmost region it inhabits is just north of the

Gulf of Burgas Gulf of Burgas or Burgas Bay (, ''Burgaski zaliv'') between the coastline and the straight line joining Cape Emine and Cape Maslen nos is the largest bay of the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and one of the largest in the Black Sea. The length of the ...

in Bulgaria. The common name results from the fact that is the only blindsnake naturally found in Europe (the brahminy blindsnake, ''

Indotyphlops braminus ''Indotyphlops braminus'', commonly known as the brahminy blind snake and other names, is a non-venomous blind snake species, found mostly in Africa and Asia, and has been introduced in many other parts of the world. It is a completely fossori ...

'', has been introduced to

Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1759, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...

and in Italy and Spain).

Description

''Xerotyphlops vermicularis'' is a small,

earthworm An earthworm is a soil-dwelling terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. The term is the common name for the largest members of the class (or subclass, depending on the author) Oligochaeta. In classical systems, they we ...

-like snake that has a maximum length of 35 cm. The head, body, and tail generally have no differentiation between them and look like one fluid segment. The coloration tends to be light brown, yellowish, or flesh colored. Juveniles do not usually have different coloring than the adults, but some have been known to look pinkish when they are smaller. It is difficult to tell male and female European blind snakes apart; however, males will generally have longer tails than the females.

Reproduction

Courtship

''X. vermicularis'' is generally found underneath rocks in groups when mating season is beginning. Their mating behavior typically follows a three-step process: * Tactile-chase: males first contact with female; involves chemosensory sampling as well as rubbing and biting the female. * Tactile-alignment: males initial attempt at copulation; tactile-chase behaviors can also occur at the same time; male attempts to align tail with the females. * Intromission Coitus: females open their

cloaca A cloaca ( ), : cloacae ( or ), or vent, is the rear orifice that serves as the only opening for the digestive (rectum), reproductive, and urinary tracts (if present) of many vertebrate animals. All amphibians, reptiles, birds, cartilagin ...

and allow males to insert their

hemipenes A hemipenis (: hemipenes) is one of a pair of intromittent organs of male squamates (snakes and lizards). Hemipenes are usually held inverted within the body, and are everted for reproduction via erectile tissue, much like that in the human peni ...

. Due to the size of these snakes, the beginning and end of each phase is difficult to differentiate.

Copulation

This process takes place during the months of May and June and egg laying takes place between July and August. The male is wrapped around the mid-section of the female with their cloacae pressed closely together. They stay connected like that for roughly 1-2 minutes and afterwards the male disconnects himself from the female and moves away.

References

External links