Worm Snake Eastern

The eastern worm snake is a small, fossorial colubrid widely distributed across forested regions of the eastern United States. Despite its snake-like classification, its smooth, uniform, cylindrical body and burrowing habits make it easy to mistake for an earthworm at first glance, which is the origin of its common name.

It is one of the most commonly encountered small snakes in eastern woodlands when logs or rocks are turned over, though it is rarely seen moving in the open.

The species is non-venomous and completely harmless to humans.

• Small, slender, cylindrical body with a glossy, smooth appearance
• Uniform brown to grayish-brown coloration on the back, contrasting with a bright pink to salmon-colored belly
• Small, pointed head barely distinct from the neck
• Tiny eyes and a pointed tail tip that can appear spine-like
• Adults typically 20-30 cm (8-11 in)
• Distinguished from blind snakes by visible (though small) eyes and its colubrid scale pattern

Found throughout much of the eastern United States, from New England south through the Appalachians and into the Gulf Coast states, favoring moist deciduous forests with loose soil, leaf litter, and decaying logs. Common in gardens, wooded suburban areas, and forest floor habitats.

Fossorial and secretive, spending nearly all of its time burrowed in soil or hidden beneath logs, rocks, and leaf litter, rarely seen moving in the open even at night. It feeds primarily on earthworms, along with soft-bodied insect larvae. It is entirely harmless and inoffensive, and if disturbed may press its pointed tail tip against a surface in a harmless defensive gesture rather than biting. Reproduction is egg-laying, with small clutches of a few eggs deposited in moist soil or rotting logs.