Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Scolecophidia

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Kingdom
  
Animalia

Scientific name
  
Scolecophidia

Phylum
  
Chordata

Order
  
Scaled reptiles

Suborder
  
Serpentes

Rank
  
Infraorder

Higher classification
  
Snake


Length
  
Barbados threadsnake: 10 cm

Lower classifications
  
Typhlopidae, Leptotyphlopidae

Thread blind snake scolecophidia


The Scolecophidia, commonly knowns as blind snakes or thread snakes, are an infraorder of snakes. They range in length from 10 to 100 cm (3.9 to 39.4 in). All are fossorial (adapted for burrowing). There are five families and 15 genera recognized,

Contents

Scolecophidia palaeoscomvertebratessquamataimagesScolecophi

A slender blind snake scolecophidia in my house in tampa florida


Biogeographic history

Scolecophidia South Indian Herpetofauna

Scolecophidians are believed to have originated on Gondwana, with anomalepidids and leptotyphlopids evolving in west Gondwana (South America and Africa) and typhlopids, gerrhopilids and xenotyphlopids on east Gondwana, initially on the combined India/Madagascar land mass, during the Mesozoic. Typhlopids then dispersed to Africa and Eurasia. South American typhlopids apparently evolved from African typhlopids that rafted across the Atlantic about 60 million years ago; they in turn dispersed to the Caribbean about 33 million years ago. Similarly, typhlopids apparently reached Australia from Southeast Asia or Indonesia about 28 million years ago.

References

Scolecophidia Wikipedia