Eastern Worm Snake
Carphophis amoenus • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Dipsadinae, Genus: Carphophis, Species: amoenus
Eastern United States, from southern New England south to central Georgia and west to the Mississippi River and Ohio Valley.
Look up Eastern Worm Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Venomous Status
Non-venomous (aglyphous)
Danger Level
Harmless. This species is shy, lacks a venom delivery system, and practically never bites humans.
Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Dipsadinae, Genus: Carphophis, Species: amoenus
Conservation
IUCN Red List: Least Concern. Generally common, though threatened locally by habitat loss and deforestation.
Physical Description
Small, smooth-scaled snake with a cylindrical body. Dorsal color is typically uniform brown or reddish-brown with a distinct pink or salmon-colored belly. The head is small and narrow, not distinct from the neck, with tiny eyes. Scales are iridescent.
Size & Dimensions
Typical adult range is 19 to 33 cm (7.5 to 13 inches). The specimen in the image appears to be an adult.
Habitat
Fossorial (burrowing) species typically found in moist deciduous forests, wooded hillsides, and near wetlands. Often found under logs, rocks, or leaf litter in loose soil.
Behavior & Temperament
Extremely docile and secretive. Diurnal and crepuscular activity but largely spent underground. When handled, it may use its spiked tail tip to poke at the handler's hand (harmless) or release musk.
Diet & Feeding
Specialized diet consisting almost exclusively of earthworms. They use their pointed snouts to forage through soil and leaf litter.
Reproduction
Oviparous (egg-laying). Females lay clutches of 2 to 8 eggs in early summer, typically in rotting logs or moist soil. Eggs hatch in late summer.
Venom Profile
Non-venomous - no medically significant venom.
Look-alikes
Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae) which has a more pointed snout and lack the pink belly, and the Southeastern Crowned Snake (Tantilla coronata) which has a dark head cap.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern. Generally common, though threatened locally by habitat loss and deforestation.
Cultural Significance
Often overlooked due to its subterranean lifestyle, but plays an important ecological role as a specialized predator of earthworms and as prey for larger forest animals.
Notable Features
Features a small, harmless terminal spine on the tip of the tail used to gain leverage while burrowing or as a defensive 'prod' when held.