Scolecophidia
| Scolecophidia | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Brahminy blind snake, Ramphotyphlops braminus |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Infraorder: |
Scolecophidia Cope, 1864 |
The Scolecophidia are an infraorder of snakes. They range in length from 10 to 100 cm (3.9 to 39.4 in). All are fossorial (adapted for burrowing). There are five families and 15 genera recognized,
Scolecophidians are believed to have originated on Gondwana, with anomalepidids and leptotyphlopids evolving in west Gondwana (South America and Africa) and typhlopids, gerrhopilids and xenotyphlopids on east Gondwana, initially on the combined India/Madagascar land mass, during the Mesozoic. Typhlopids then dispersed to Africa and Eurasia. South American typhlopids apparently evolved from African typhlopids that rafted across the Atlantic about 60 million years ago; they in turn dispersed to the Caribbean about 33 million years ago. Similarly, typhlopids apparently reached Australia from Southeast Asia or Indonesia about 28 million years ago.
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Wikipedia