Western Threadsnake
Rena humilis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassSquamata
- FamilyLeptotyphlopidae (Threadsnakes)
- GenusRena
- SpeciesRena humilis (Western Threadsnake)
About the Western Threadsnake
Rena humilis, known commonly as the western blind snake, the western slender blind snake, and the western threadsnake, is a species of snake in the family Leptotyphlopidae. The species is native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Six subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominate subspecies described here.
R. humilis, like most species in the family Leptotyphlopidae, resembles a long earthworm. It lives underground in burrows, and since it has no use for vision, its eyes are mostly vestigial. The western blind snake is pink, purple, or silvery-brown in color, shiny, wormlike, cylindrical, blunt at both ends, and has light-detecting black eyespots. The skull is thick to permit burrowing, and it has a spine at the end of its tail that it uses for leverage. It is usually less than 30 cm (12 in) in total length (tail included), and is as thin as an earthworm. This species and other blind snakes are fluorescent under low frequency ultraviolet light (black light).
On the top of the head, between the ocular scales, L. humilis has only one scale (L. dulcis has three scales). R. humilis is found in the southwestern... Wikipedia →
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Western Threadsnake in Saguaro National Park?
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Threadsnake sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 74 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Western Threadsnake in Saguaro National Park?
June has the highest sighting rate for Western Threadsnake in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.