Anomochilus leonardi

Anomochilus leonardi
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Anomochilidae
Genus:	Anomochilus
Species:	A. leonardi
Binomial name
Anomochilus leonardi M. A. Smith, 1940
Anomochilus leonardi range in Malaysia

Anomochilus leonardi, also known by the common names Leonard's pipe snake,^[2] Leonard's burrowing snake,^[3] and Malayan giant blind snake,^[4] is a species of snake in the dwarf pipesnake family Anomochilidae. It is endemic to the Malay Peninsula and Borneo, where it inhabits primary and mature secondary dipterocarp forests at altitudes of 250–500 m (820–1,640 ft). Described by the herpetologist Malcolm Arthur Smith in 1940, the species is a stout, cylindrical snake with a small head and short, conical tail. It has a snout–vent length of up to 390 mm (15 in), and has a black underside with a glossy black to purplish brown upperside. It also has two rows of elliptical yellow spots along the back, a yellow bar across the snout, and a large red patch on the subcaudal scales. It can be told apart from the other species in its genus by the absence of pale stripes along its sides, an unpaired parietofrontal scale, and the presence of the pale patches along its back.

The species is nocturnal and fossorial (adapted to living underground). It most likely feeds on earthworms, snakes, and legless lizards. Reproduction in the snake has not been observed, but other species in its genus lay eggs, unusually for their superfamily, where most species give birth to live young. The IUCN Red List currently classifies the species as being of least concern due to its presence in protected areas and the fact that its range is likely larger than currently known.