Blindsnakes
Australia is home to over 40 different Blindsnakes
There are more than forty species of blindsnake in Australia, all in the genus Ramphotyphlops. They occur throughout the country, excluding Tasmania and far south-eastern Victoria – yet despite their apparent pervasiveness, they are seldom seen – and certainly, rarely recognised.
Completely harmless, they resemble overgrown worms, ranging from 17cm to 75cm in length, with slender, perfectly cylindrical bodies. Living underground, they have minute, barely-functional eyes, and tiny, ventrally-placed mouths designed for hoovering up termites and ant larvae and pupae.
Due to their intensely cryptic habits, they are all but a mystery to science, with much still to be learnt about their biology, behaviour and population numbers.
Snake venoms are being used to create new, more effective treatments for cancer.