SUMMARY
VENOM: None
PREVALENCE: Rare
ACTIVE PERIOD: Unclear possibly nocturnal
KEY ID FEATURES: Worm like in appearance, reddish purple body with lighter color head and white nose with dark stripe down the middle of the rostral scale
BEHAVIOR: Lives in soil, under logs, potted plants and in leaf litter
SIZE: Very Small - 10-15cm
IUCN: NE
OTHER: Species still in process for formal scientific description, difficult to morphologically distinguish from other blind snakes in Hong Kong
QUICK ASSESSMENT 0-10
GALLERY
IMPORTANT: Many snakes have significant variance in coloration and pattern even within the same species. There can also be extreme differences in appearance from juveniles to adults so it is important to never assume you have properly identified a snake.
DESCRIPTION
Unlike the Common Blind Snake the Hong Kong Blind Snakes are quite rare. They look like an earth worm even more so than their more common cousin, reaching a maximum size of 10-15 cm. There is no separation between head (apart from color transition), neck, body and tail and the remnant eyes are virtually impossible to discern unless view extremely closely. Similar to the equally rare White-headed Blind Snake, the Hong Kong Blind Snake has a lighter colored head than the Common Blind Snake, though not completely white except on the nose. Unlike the White-headed Blind Snake there is a dark stripe down teh millde of the rostral scale and the scales on the head are only partially white.
BEHAVIOR
Hong Kong Blind Snakes are prone to squirm vigorously when handled. They spend all of their time underground in moist soil or under cover like rotten logs, rocks and potted plants. They can be found during the day and at night but it is assumed they are mostly nocturnal. They desicate quickly when not in moist soil.
HABITAT
Completely terrestrial, Hong Kong Blind Snakes spend all their time under cover around areas with moist soil. However, unlike the other blind snake spcies in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Blind Snake is mostly found in and around heavily urbanized areas. It is possible they also exist in more rural locations but more study is required to better determine the extent of their range.
MISTAKEN IDENTITY
NO SNAKE SHOULD EVER BE HANDLED BY ANYONE BUT EXPERTS: Often mistaken for earth worms, some people in Hong Kong may very well have seen Hong Kong Blind Snakes and not noticed. There is no danger associated with misidentifying these species and they make interesting subjects to observe and show to children.