Western Threadsnake vs. Brahminy Blindsnake
Both are tiny worm-like snakes in loose soil in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties (the Brahminy arrives in potted plants); their records overlap there. A: Pinkish-tan to silvery brown and see-through; the gut and blood vessels can show through the belly in the Western Threadsnake; dark charcoal, chocolate or jet-black, opaque and highly glossy, like a shiny black earthworm in the Brahminy Blindsnake. B: A clear dark spot under a big scale on the side of the head in the Western Threadsnake; covered by a smooth head scale; shows only faintly in the Brahminy Blindsnake. C: A short blunt tip with a tiny hard spine (no open photo shows it) in the Western Threadsnake; a sharp, distinct spine, easy to feel when handled in the Brahminy Blindsnake. They belong to different families: threadsnakes (Leptotyphlopidae) and typical blind snakes (Typhlopidae). The threadsnake lives in wild canyons and desert; the Brahminy in gardens and nurseries. Both are harmless.
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Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.
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