Snakes and Ants
Category: Science, Nature & Medicine...
Posted Thursday, June 09, 2005 at 09:24 AM [GMT-6]

In only his second day of blogging, local nature expert Burr Williams has already posted some intriguing information about the west Texas ecosystem, including an odd species known as the "blind snake":

Blind snakes often travel with our local species of army ants (tiny ants that come out on the dark of the moon to move their nests.) They feed on the diseased larvae of the ants and are accepted by the ants for their role.

I've never heard this before, and it piqued my curiosity so I googled "blind snake" and found this article at the top of the list. Here's an excerpt:

While a little is known about how blind snakes hunt ants, there is very little information on how ants resist their attacks. The observation that A. cockerelli workers will remove larvae from their nest when it is invaded may be the first example of an effective response by ants to blind snake predation. I should also point out that in November of 1994 I observed an Ephebomyrmex pima colony where the workers also brought their larvae and pupae to the surface. Whether these ants were responding to an invading blind snake is not known, and whether bringing offspring to the surface is a general response to blind snake predation remains to be seen.

Burr and the author of the latter article, an instructor at Rice University, have apparently reached different conclusions about the relationship of the blind snake to ant colonies. It's worth noting that the Rice article is seven years old and thus may not reflect the most current theory about the potential symbiosis between the two species, and the author does admit that the behaviors are not fully understood.

Regardless, both articles are quite instructive about the behaviors of the little-known Texas residents.

This is good stuff, folks...it appeals to my inner zoologist!

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Comments

Very interesting. Very apt post for the "Fireant" blog. One wonders how many blind snakes he has seen thinking they were earth worms?

Saw my first garter snake of the season outback over the weekend just past. We typically see one, only once, each year. I think the cat gets to 'em eventually.

Posted by: Rob at June 9, 2005 02:34 PM

Yeah, I'm a sucker for a good ant story. ;-)

I've been looking for my first rattlesnake sighting. They're not unfrequent during my morning bike rides, which take me a few miles out of the city limits. Thus far I've just seen one dead bull snake (a species often mistaken for a rattler by the easily panicked).

Cats are excellent snake control critters. Unfortunately, they aren't very discerning about "good" snakes vs. "bad" ones (and it's debatable as to whether there are any bad ones, depending on where you live...even rattlesnakes help to keep down the rat population, and I'd rather deal with a snake than the plague any day!)

Posted by: Eric at June 9, 2005 03:31 PM

When we get together with Burr next week I think we should delve into the commercial aspects of Blind Snakes. I can see a breeding operation and sales to ant infested homeoweners. :>]

Seriously, it was an interesting article, and as worldly as I am I don't think I've ever heard of blind snakes here in W. Texas.

Posted by: Wallace-Midland, Texas at June 9, 2005 03:36 PM

Blogging is the perfect medium for someone like Burr to share his vast-but-quite-focused knowledge.

As far as the commercial implications of blind snakes, if Burr is right, the introduction of the snake into the colony simply insures the colony's good health!

Posted by: Eric at June 9, 2005 03:44 PM
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