Worm Snake (Carphophis amoenus)
Subspecies: Eastern, Midwest, Western

Description:
8-14 3/4" (20.3-37.5 cm). A tiny, glossy, cylindrical-bodied snake; unpatterned brown, gray, or black with a bright reddish-pink belly. Belly coloration extends up onto dorsal scale rows. Tail short and tapers to a sharp tip. Scales smooth, in 13 rows. Anal plate divided.
Breeding:
Mates April to May and September to October. 1-8 elongate, thin-shelled eggs, about 7/8" (23 mm) long, are deposited June to July and hatch about 7 weeks later. Hatchlings are 3-4" (8-10 cm) long; mature in 3 years.
Habitat:
Damp hilly woodlands, partially wooded or grassy hillsides above streams, farmland bordering woodlands; sea level to 4, 300' (1,300 m).
Range:
S. New England to c. Georgia, west to se. Nebraska, e. Kansas, e. Oklahoma, and extreme ne. Texas.
Subspecies:
Eastern (C. a. amoenus), brown above, prefrontal and internasal scales separate; se. New York and s. New England south through South Carolina and n. Georgia, west into s. Ohio, e. Kentucky, e. Tennessee, and nc. Alabama.
Midwest (C. a. helenae), brown above, prefrontal and internasal scales fused; w. Ohio west to s. Illinois, southward east of the Mississippi River to the Gulf.
Western (C. a. vermis), black above, prefrontal and internasal scales separate; se. Nebraska and sw. and se. Iowa, southward west of the Mississippi River to nw. Louisiana.

Secretive; dwells in damp situations under rocks, decaying logs, or stumps, or in loose soil. It is more likely to be seen in spring while habitat is still moist. During dry and cold periods it retreats deep into soil. Feeds on earthworms, and is preyed upon by milk snakes and kingsnakes. It does not bite when handled.

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