ID help please

[tickerbox]

Hi all,

My daughter found this in the garden today. We live next to Lane Cove National Park. It was already dead and dried out.
At first glance I thought it was a worm, but now I'm not so sure because looking more closely it has quite visible eyes, mouth, and nostrils. What is it? Just a worm, or some kind of snake? I've got no idea...

It's 33 cm long (I measured it with a piece of string). Here's pics of the top side, underside, and face.

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[richoman_3]

blind snake .. maybe ramphotyphlops nigrescens

 

[tickerbox]

blind snake .. maybe ramphotyphlops nigrescens

Thanks Richoman, I appreciate the identification help.

Cheers!

 

[Bushman]

[FONT=&quot]It's certainly a member of the Blind Snake genus ([FONT=&quot]Ramphotyphlops sp.). [/FONT]Whilst it's most probably a [FONT=&quot]Ramphotyphlops nigrescens, [/FONT]as it's by far the most common species in the area, it could also be a [FONT=&quot]Ramphotyphlops proximus[/FONT] or a [FONT=&quot]Ramphotyphlops wiedii. [/FONT]

The distinguishing features of [FONT=&quot]Ramphotyphlops [/FONT]are the very rounded snout and small, almost redundant eyes. Just as distinctive, if not more so, is the very blunt tail that tapers rapidly into a short, blunt spine.[/FONT]

 

[GeckPhotographer]

Agree it's a Ramphotyphlops. I'd be pretty supportive of nigrescens. R. weidii are very small and thread like, and R. proximus much fatter and usually quite shorter comparatively. Left aside that both those species are pretty unlikely there, the habitat is not ideal and R. nigrescens are extremely common.