Friday, April 06, 2007

Blind Boys of Georgia?

The Ledger-Enquirer is reporting that Brahminy blind snakes (Ramphotyphlops braminus, also known as Brahminy worms) are now established in Georgia. No cause for alarm though, since, as the article proclaims, the snakes are not poisonous and "are considered harmless" - that of course means harmless to humans. Since it lives under the soil, my guess is that no one has a clue what kind of impact this Asian species is are having where it has become established. Besides being nearly sightless, Brahmniny blind snakes are also unusual in that they reproduce parthenogenetically (i.e. they don't need partners!), which certainly wouldn't hurt their chances of becoming established from sporadic introductions.

No comments: