Southern Blind Snake

Scientific name: Anilios australis

Meaning of name:

The meaning of Anilios is not known. Australis is Latin meaning southern.

Distribution:

Occurs throughout the southwest of Western Australia from north of Geraldton to near the South Australian border.

Description:

The body colour can be from a purplish-brown to purplish-grey to pink with a cream belly. They can grow to 42cm long.

Notes:

This is the most common blind snake in Perth. They shelter beneath rocks, stumps, logs and rubbish. They eat only ants and termites, meaning they are harmless to humans. Blind snakes use an unpleasant odour produced from their anal glands to deter predators.

References:

A Guide to the Reptiles and Frogs of the Perth Region. Brian Bush, Brad Maryan, Robert Browne-Cooper, David Robinson. 2010

Snakes of Western Australia. GM Storr, LA Smith, RE Johnstone. 1986

Atlas of Living Australia https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/1a5a613b-7a8d-4ac7-9dcf-8b805a702db5