About Rhinotyphlops lalandei (Schlegel, 1839)
Rhinotyphlops lalandei is a slender, pinkish-grey blind snake with a pointed nose it uses for burrowing. It can reach a maximum snout-to-vent length (SVL) of 35 cm (13 3⁄4 inches). Its dorsal scales are arranged in 26–30 rows around the body, and there are more than 300 dorsal scales in the vertebral row. The nostrils sit below the sharp horizontal cutting edge of the snout. The total body length including the tail is 35 to 50 times the body diameter. The tail is as broad as it is long, or broader than long, and ends in a spine. This species occurs throughout the eastern half of Southern Africa, extending as far south as Cape Town, with isolated populations in western areas such as Namibia. It can be found in a variety of habitats, including semidesert, savannah, coastal bush, and fynbos, at altitudes ranging from sea level up to 2,200 m (7,200 ft). Rhinotyphlops lalandei is oviparous. Females lay clutches of 2 to 4 eggs, and the hatchlings are flesh-colored.
