The head is small, conical and no wider than the neck. Females are longer than males, but have shorter tails. The tail is short in comparison with its body and ends in an abrupt, spine-like scale. It has pinkish ventral pigmentation which extends dorsally onto dorsal scale rows one to two. amoenus coloration is unpatterned and can be tan to dark brown in color it has a pointed head, and small, black eyes. It has five upper labials and one postocular. The dorsal scales are smooth, in 13 rows. It is brown dorsally, and bright pink ventrally, with the belly color including one or two dorsal scale rows. Peak activity falls between 15:00 to 18:00. amoenus is mostly found under rocks and in sufficient leaf litter during the extreme daytime heat. The snake's skin naturally evaporates water so the soil needs to be moist enough to offset this.
This species prefers moist soil inhabited by earthworms, which are its main prey, so the soil needs to be sufficiently moist. The best chance to spot it is after heavy rains, when its small size and distinct color make it easy to spot. It may also be found in the grasslands next to woodlands. This snake is most common on the edges or in the ecotonal areas of open to thick woodlands, and the borders of wetlands. Though this snake is quite abundant over its range, it is rarely seen because of its dormant lifestyle and where it usually resides. This species of snake protects a large range, and normally prefers a moist habitat in the rocky woodlands, under rotten wood of logs and stumps. amoenus can be found east of the Mississippi, from southwest Massachusetts south to southern Alabama west to Louisiana and then north to Illinois. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, Eighth Ed.Carphophis amoenus, commonly known as the worm snake, is a species of non venomous colubrid snake endemic to the eastern United States. 1"Ī Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians, Eastern and Central North America, Third EditionĬrother, Brian I., Ronald M. (1999), "Snake Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, vol. Working manuscript of follow-up volumes to McDiarmid et al. & Jirí Hosek (eds.), The Reptile Database, ()Ĭarphophis vermis, Western Worm Snake Reptile Database (2017), website (version 24-Dec-16) Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center – Amphisbaenians, Lizards, Snakes, amphisbènes, lézards, serpentsĬarphophis vermis (Kennicott, 1859) – Western Wormsnake, Western Worm Snake
0 kommentar(er)
