Anomochilus monticola

Kinabalu giant blind snake
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Anomochilidae
Genus: Anomochilus
Species:
A. monticola
Binomial name
Anomochilus monticola
Das [fr], Lakim, Lim & Hui, 2008[2]

Anomochilus monticola, the Kinabalu giant blind snake,[3] mountain pipe snake,[4] or Mount Kinabalu dwarf pipesnake,[5] is a species of snake in the dwarf pipesnake family Anomochilidae. It is endemic to Kinabalu Park in northern Borneo, where it inhabits montane and submontane rainforest at altitudes of 1,450–1,513 m (4,757–4,964 ft). Described by the herpetologist Indraneil Das and colleagues in 2008, the species is a stout, cylindrical snake with a small head and short, conical tail. It is the largest species in its genus, with a total length of 521 mm (20.5 in). It is mostly iridescent blue-black in color, with a deep brown belly, large pale horn-colored blotches along the underside, a chrome orange band around the tail, a pale creamy-yellow bar across the snout, and pale horn-colored speckles along its sides. It can be told apart from the other species in its genus by its large size, the absence of a stripe along its sides, and the lack of pale blotches on 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 A. monticola as being data deficient due to a lack of information about its range and threats to the species.

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  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Das2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Das2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference EOL was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference OShea2023 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).