Identification

The worm snake is uniformly lavender-brown above. The belly and adjacent two rows of scales are pink. Its head is small and rounded. The young measure 3 to 4 inches in length and are darker in color than the adults, which themselves only range from 7 to 11 inches long. This snake is strikingly different from other snakes because of its slender body shape; some have confused it with a very long earthworm.

 

Distribution and Status

Midwest Worm Snakes are found in the southern half of Indiana. The status of the Midwest Worm Snake in Indiana is unknown.

 

 

Ecology

These snakes are harmless and are very hard to locate since they burrow up to a foot below the soil surface. The worm snake is usually found under rocks and rotten logs where their prey, earthworms and soft-bodied insects, are abundant.

 

 

Resources
General reference guides and websites.

 

 

Bruce Kingsbury, Director

Center for Reptile and Amphibian Conservation and Management

Science Building

Indiana-Purdue University

2101 East Coliseum Blvd.

Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499

herps@ipfw.edu