Is the brahminy blindsnake venomous?

The brahminy blindsnake is harmless. Completely harmless. Frequently mistaken for a baby venomous snake because people assume any small snake must be a young one; it is a full-grown adult.

How do you identify a brahminy blindsnake?

Tiny, usually four to six inches, and no thicker than a pencil lead. No visible eyes or neck; the head and tail look almost identical.

Where do brahminy blindsnakes live?

They are found in 10 US states, in habitats including suburban, indoors and farmland.

Brahminy Blindsnake

Harmless

Indotyphlops braminus · also called flowerpot snake, island blindsnake

The Brahminy blindsnake is an introduced species that has spread worldwide in the soil of potted plants, which is why it is often called the flowerpot snake. It is the smallest snake most people will ever see, it is entirely parthenogenetic — every individual is female and clones itself — and it is completely harmless.

Venom: Completely harmless. Frequently mistaken for a baby venomous snake because people assume any small snake must be a young one; it is a full-grown adult.
Adult length: 4–7 inches (10–18 cm)
Markings: Shiny dark grey to purplish-black, the same thickness from end to end, with no visible neck. The eyes are vestigial dark specks under the scales.
Habitat: suburban, indoors, farmland
Family: colubrid
Range: 10 US states

How to identify a brahminy blindsnake

Tiny, usually four to six inches, and no thicker than a pencil lead.
No visible eyes or neck; the head and tail look almost identical.
Uniform shiny dark grey or black with a slight iridescence.
Turns up in flowerpots, plant nursery soil and garden beds.

What it does when it sees you

Burrows in soil and eats ant and termite larvae. Cannot bite.

What the brahminy blindsnake is confused with

One test settles each of these.

Eastern wormsnake →

Wormsnakes are larger, brown above with a pink belly, and have visible eyes.

Earthworm

The blindsnake is smooth and shiny with scales and flicks a tongue; earthworms are segmented and do not.

Where it lives

Alabama Arizona California Florida Georgia Louisiana Mississippi South Carolina Texas Hawaii

Before anything else

Back away and leave it alone. A snake that can see you leaving has no reason to bite. Most bites in the United States happen to people who picked up, cornered, or tried to kill a snake.
Never handle a snake to identify it. Every identification on this site can be made from a photo or from several feet away.
If someone is bitten, call emergency services now. Keep the limb still and below the heart, remove rings and watches, and go to hospital. Do not cut, suck, apply ice, or use a tourniquet — all of these make outcomes worse.
Do not try to catch the snake for identification. A photo from a distance is enough, and hospitals treat symptoms rather than species.

In the US, the Poison Help line is 1-800-222-1222. This site is a reference, not medical advice.

Not sure it was a brahminy blindsnake? Identify it step by step →