Imagine your midday snack turning into a “toad-ally awesome find.”
That’s what happened for a Woodhouse’s Toad near Meade, Kansas last month, when, likely misidentifying it for a worm, the amphibian attempted to snack on a New Mexico Threadsnake.
These snakes (sometimes called “blind snakes”) are a threatened species in the state of Kansas and only grow to be about five to eight inches long. To an untrained eye, they also look nearly identical to a common worm, with a pinkish-tan in coloration and tiny black eyes.
Biologists from the Kansas Department Wildlife & Parks’ Terrestrial Crew were in the field in June, out “road-cruising,” or surveying an ecosystem for nocturnal reptiles and amphibians when they found the duo.
This effort is done to protect and learn more about the area’s nocturnal species when they gravitate toward the heat of the road at nightfall.
“KDWP Ecological Services Division’s Biodiversity Survey and Assessment Program has one terrestrial and two aquatic survey crews that focus mainly on collecting data on Species of Greatest Conservation Need as designated within the Kansas State Wildlife Action Plan,” KDWP Ecological Services Director Chris Berens told KSNT News.
“Due to the elusive and fossorial nature of this species, not much information [or] data is available for them. Through these surveys, KDWP is hoping to collect data on the Threadsnake’s habitat preferences and geographic distribution that will better inform conservation efforts.”
That makes this find especially lucky, as the survey team was able to find the toad attempting to snack on the small snake — before it was lost to the belly of the beast.
“These snakes are nocturnal and easy to miss with their worm-like appearance, so imagine the surprise when our survey crew captured a Woodhouse’s Toad trying to snack on the very species our crew was searching for,” a social media post from KDWP shared.
New Mexico Threadsnakes are usually found in the south central and southeastern counties of Kansas, along the Oklahoma state line, according to the KDWP.
They are also found in other parts of the southern United States, like New Mexico, southern Colorado, western Texas, western Oklahoma, eastern Arizona, and in some parts of Mexico.
While it does not seem to have any federal designations, the species is protected by the Kansas Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Act, and according to Berens, KDWP teams have found just 10 snakes so far in 2024.
Fortunately, if you’re an ophidiophobe, it’s worth noting that New Mexico threadsnakes are harmless; their defensive behaviors include writhing, releasing musk, and poking with their harmless tail spines.
Header image courtesy of Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
