Snake? Worm? Something else.

[Seastallion]

I just came across a creature slithering across my living room floor.

It moved exactly like a snake, with it's head weaving from side to side.

BUT...it was only 5cm long, and very very slender (thinner than a matchstick). My eyes are not great, but it appeared to have a definite head. Reddish-brown in colour. Dry-looking and firm, not wormlike at all, but I just can't imagine a snake so small.

My wife had 3 young girl students, so the priority was to get it out instead of taking photos. I swept it up in the dustpan, and it continued to writhe forward...very snake-like in it's movements. I placed it on the ground outside and it quickly slithered under some leaves.

Any ideas anyone?

Heaven knows how it got in. It's too small to overcome the front step...and that worries me as it may have hatched inside...and are there more...and is there a mum?

[Seastallion]

Just googled "smallest snake"...this looks very much like it, although the scales were indistinguishable to my eyes....this happens to be a Babados Thread Snake......is there something like this in Thailand?

[Seastallion]

This is so close to it...

[Tywais]

We encountered something similar inside our house. Heard my wife call out to me to come upstairs. At first I thought she said mouse and pointed at the throw rug. So I raised it up and thought I saw a dust ball but it moved and was a very tiny snake, about like your description. When I approached it it moved scarily fast, made me jump. Hard to sweep him up in a bowl as he was so fast and my nerves not so steady.

After extricating it my wife said "where's the mother'. Hairs on my arm rose up.

[Mrjlh]

Thai Worm Snake (Brahminy Blind Snake)...really...that's it's nickname. Not dangerous..harmless.

http://www.thailandsnakes.com/non-venomous/brahminy-blind-snake-non-venomous-not-dangerous/

[Seastallion]

yep...that must be it.

Glad to know it wasn't a baby that has a much larger mum hiding under the couch.

Question remains...how did it get in...especially Tywais upstairs???

[MartinL]

Harmless little creatures, eat ants & similar. Generally live underground or under logs and have been transported worldwide in flowerpots. Just put them out among your plants - don't harm them.

[Tywais]

yep...that must be it.

Glad to know it wasn't a baby that has a much larger mum hiding under the couch.

Question remains...how did it get in...especially Tywais upstairs???

My wife and I were trying to figure that out also. She just thought it was a tree snake and came on the roof. Even so we have all windows screened so still a mystery.

[Beetlejuice]

I have learnt something here today.

In all my years in Thailand I`ve always believed these creatures were some kind of worm. If I found one in the house I would brush it into a dustpan and flush it down the toilet. Regret that now.

Does prove that Thai visa can be a wealth of information for us Thailand dwellers, plus that the wonders of nature never cease to amaze us.

[Seastallion]

Harmless little creatures, eat ants & similar. Generally live underground or under logs and have been transported worldwide in flowerpots. Just put them out among your plants - don't harm them.

That's it, though mine was smaller.

The look like they would be awesome on a miniature scene set.....toy soldiers or something.

[daoyai]

one sure way to tell is first put on your reading glasses, then look at the head, snakes flick out their toungs to "smell" .... there is a belief that Hawaii has no snakes but they got these guys that most people never see.

[LennyW]

Seen lot's of these around the house, especially after a good downpour, i too always thought they were some kind of worm.

Also quite common to see another type very similar in size and appearance to these but with a T shaped head, are they worms or snakes i wonder?

[daoyai]

^^^ T shaped head is a flatworm, movement is much slower.