How to Identify the Smooth Earthsnake (Identification Guide)
A small, plain, glossy-scaled burrowing snake told apart from the rough earthsnake by its smooth, unkeeled scales.
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Key identifying features
The Smooth Earthsnake (Virginia valeriae) is a small, drab, secretive snake identified primarily by its smooth, unkeeled scales, which give it a glossy sheen distinct from its rough-scaled relative. It has a plain gray-brown to reddish-brown back, a pointed snout, and a pale, unmarked belly.
Coloration & pattern
The dorsal coloration is typically brown, gray-brown, or reddish-brown and largely unpatterned, though some individuals show faint scattered dark flecks or a thin, indistinct light stripe down the center of the back. The belly is plain white, cream, or pale yellow. The overall look is muted and uniform, well suited to blending with soil and leaf litter.
Head, eyes & scales
The head is small and narrow with a pointed snout adapted for burrowing through loose soil and leaf litter. Eyes are small. Scales across the body are smooth and lack the raised ridges seen in the Rough Earthsnake, producing a noticeably glossier, shinier body surface.
Size & body shape
Adults generally measure 7 to 10 inches, occasionally up to 13 inches, with a slender, evenly proportioned body and short tail. There is no significant narrowing at the neck, giving the snake a relatively uniform width from head to tail.
Range & habitat where you'll see it
The Smooth Earthsnake ranges through much of the eastern and central United States, including the Mid-Atlantic states, the Ohio Valley, and parts of the Midwest and South. It is found in moist woodlands, under rocks, logs, and leaf litter, and sometimes in suburban gardens with adequate ground cover. It spends most of its time hidden underground or beneath surface debris.
How to tell it apart from look-alikes
The Rough Earthsnake is the primary look-alike; the two are best separated by scale texture, smooth and glossy in this species versus keeled and matte in the Rough Earthsnake. Range can also help, as the Smooth Earthsnake occurs somewhat farther north and inland in many areas. It may also be mistaken for juvenile Dekay's brown snakes, but the Smooth Earthsnake lacks the pair of dark spots along the neck and the light-bordered dorsal stripe typical of brown snakes.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell a Smooth Earthsnake from a Rough Earthsnake?
Feel or closely examine the scales: the Smooth Earthsnake has flat, unkeeled scales that appear glossy, while the Rough Earthsnake's scales are keeled and matte.
What color is the Smooth Earthsnake?
It is typically plain gray-brown to reddish-brown on top with a pale, unmarked cream or white belly.
Where is the Smooth Earthsnake usually found?
Under logs, rocks, and leaf litter in moist woodland soils across the eastern and central United States.
Does the Smooth Earthsnake have any stripe or pattern?
Most individuals are essentially unpatterned, though some show a faint, indistinct pale stripe down the back.
Smooth Earthsnake identified by the community
Recent Smooth Earthsnake specimens identified with Snake Identifier.
