< Back | Name: | Eastern and Western Worm Snake | | Family: | Woodland Snakes | | Scientific Name:
| Carphophis amoenus & Carphophis vermis | | Description: | Shiny, smooth scales. Eastern worm snake: uniform brown above, belly and one to two scale rows above are pink. Western worm snake: purplish black or black above, belly and three scale rows above are pink. Head is flattened to aid in burrowing. Young resemble adults. Adults 7-11 inches in length. | | Range: | Crowley’s Ridge, Ozark Plateau, Ouachita Mountains and western Coastal Plain. | | Habits and Habitat: | Inhabits forests, rocky, wooded hillsides and forest edges. Active from March-November, breeds in spring and fall, lays 1-5 eggs which hatch in August. Feeds exclusively on earthworms. A few scattered records exist from the Mississippi Delta, but most of the suitable habitat in this region has been cleared for agriculture. |
|
|
| |
|
Click Photo to Enlarge Suzanne Collins |
|
| | |