Simon's Beaked Blind Snake, Sharp-nosed Blind Snake, Rhinotyphlops simoni,image credit: snakes.co.il

Simon's Beaked Blind Snake, Sharp-nosed Blind Snake, Rhinotyphlops simoni,image credit: HyperViper

Simon's Beaked Blind Snake, Sharp-nosed Blind Snake, Rhinotyphlops simoni,image credit: aviad_br

Simon's Beaked Blind Snake, Sharp-nosed Blind Snake, Rhinotyphlops simoni,image credit: aviad_br

Simon's Beaked Blind Snake, Sharp-nosed Blind Snake, Rhinotyphlops simoni,image credit: community.livejournal.com

Simon's Beaked Blind Snake, Sharp-nosed Blind Snake, Rhinotyphlops simoni,image credit: eol.org
Habitat: Israel, Jordan and Syria
Status: Least Concern

This may surprise you (hah) but I’ve never been afraid of [most] animals – the only exception being spiders. Snakes? Super cool! Worms? – not ew; excellent! So how would I react to a snake that looks like a worm…? SO FREAKING HAPPY!

This is Simon’s Beaked Blind Snake or the Sharp-nosed Blind Snake (Rhinotyphlops simoni) and it really does look like a plump earth worm, doesn’t it? It does have an interesting little feature, though, which helps it out with its burrowing lifestyle. A set of scales overhangs in front of the creature’s mouth that forms a type of sharp shovel which definitely comes in handy when tunneling around the Middle East. Since the snake does live underground, it doesn’t have any need for seeing and lacks eyes – hence the term “blind snake.”

What do you think? Cute or ugly? I’m rather torn here…