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17-03-2022
THE RAIN BRINGS THEM ALL OUT
THE RAIN BRINGS THEM ALL OUT
After rain, the bandy-bandys appear. (pictured at right) So you might have seen them in recent weeks. Driving home at night, two weeks ago, after a good downpour, I saw a bandy bandy crossing Kinabalu Drive. It was there to find food, which is quite a challenge given its strict diet. Anyway, it’s one of those snakes that’s very easy to spot: the distinct black and white bands are unique (and much more pronounced than on a Stephen’s banded snake).
Bandy-bandys are a rare sighting, even for snake catchers. These nocturnal, burrowing snakes are found beneath the soil surface, under stumps, rocks and logs. They only emerge at night, after rain. Why? Because they need food.

Interestingly enough, the bandy bandy is on a unique diet of blind snakes. The Mountain is home to three species of blind snakes, all answering to the near-unpronounceable name of Ramphotyphlops. These small snakes live underground and only appear after rain... so that’s why we see bandy-bandys emerge at the same time.

Bandy-bands' are weakly poisonous but harmless to humans. The poison is not very potent. The docile nature of the snake and its smallmouth size make bites extremely rare. For humans, that is.... not for the poor, blind Ramphotyphlops. (below left)

Hundreds of other plants and species can all be found in Jaap’s book “Green Island in the Sky”, for sale now at
www.greenislandinthesky.com.au for $24.95, or at the Visitor Information Centre and post offices.

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