Range: Ethiopian highlands, east of the Rift Valley

 

An African highland endemic, the rare Ethiopian blind snake is known from a handful of separate scattered locales above 1700 meters in elevation in the eastern mountains and table lands of Ethiopia, though its range may be more continuous and may even stretch into northern Kenya. It grows to barely 14.5 cm long, with an extremely narrow cylindrical body bearing a slightly broader and flattened head and neck. The tail is short and slightly tapered, tipped with a small spine, and midbody scale row count is 14. Coloration is black to dark brown top and bottom overlaying a sometimes pinkish hue, save for small patches of whitish scales on the lower jaw, around the cloaca, and under the tail. Like many species, the Ethiopian blind snake is separated physically from other species often by the details of the structure of the scales, particularly on the head, descriptions of which in detail are broader than the scope of this sheet and can be found in the sources.

 

Habitat: Soils or rotting wood in juniper or Podocarpus woodlands, likely under bark slabs or vegetation mats.

 

Prey: Unknown, likely feds on soft-bodied invertebrates such as termite or ant larvae.

 

Lifespan and reproduction: lifespan unknown, likely between 3-7 years. Oviparous.

 

Sources: http://www.reptiles-of-ethiopia-and-eritrea.com/typhlopoidea.html

http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Leptotyphlops&species=aethiopicus