Subject: NOT BIRDS: Blindworms in Cascadia?
Date: Feb 24 01:38:33 1998
From: Michael Price - mprice at mindlink.bc.ca


Hi Tweets,

Anyone know the status of those weird lizards called blindworms in SW'ern BC?

Caught a quick, 'corner of the eye' look at something in the yard a couple
nights ago, when the motion-activated porch light went on, at something
whipping like lightning back into the earth.

I first saw it lying across the old concrete walkway to my entrance, issuing
from earth right beside the walkway. While the length above ground seemed
similar to the average nightcrawler (~15-20cm), it differed from the average
earthworm by being perceptibly much thicker throughout its length (~2cm to
the worm's ~0.5cm, about three times thicker) rather than being thickest at
the head-end; having no annular whatsit (that cylindrical swelling back of
the 'head' of an earthworm); and by being just one color--a bright pale
smooth-skinned flesh-pink--throughout rather than being colored in sections
as an earthworm: dark russet-red 'head', pale flesh annular whatsit, darker
flesh rest of the worm. Definitely not yer average nightcrawler. Of which
there are currently billions, BTW, lying around on the sidewalks whenever it
rains. If robins were nocturnal, they'd have to walk back to the nest, being
too heavily-gorged to fly.

In Campbell & Harcombe's taxonomic lists and codes from 1985, there's no
mention of blindworms; the only other candidate reptile would be Rubber Boa
Charina bottae, but without knowing much about it, I think that's the wrong
color. And wouldn't the habitat be different for the boa? Ideas, anyone?

Michael Price A brave world, Sir,
Vancouver BC Canada full of religion, knavery and change;
mprice at mindlink.net we shall shortly see better days.
Aphra Behn (1640-1689)