amoenus can be distinguished from the western worm snake ( Carphophis vermis), by its less vibrant dorsal and ventral coloration and lack of ventral pigmentation on the third body scale row. This snake can live up to 4 years in the wild.

The head is small, conical and no wider than the neck. Females are longer than males, but have shorter tails. This spine is not sharp enough to pierce skin. The tail is short in comparison with its body and ends in a spine-like scale. It has pinkish ventral pigmentation which extends onto dorsal scale rows one to two. amoenus is unpatterned and can be either brown or dark brown with a reddish belly. It has five upper labials and one postocular scale. The 13 rows of dorsal scales are smooth and glossy. Adults are 19–28 cm (7.5–11.0 in) in total length, with a record length of 34 cm (13 in). This snake is perfectly safe to pick up, as it cannot bite, but may produce a foul-smelling excretion.Ĭ. amoenus resides mostly under rocks, logs and leaf litter, or burrowed within rotting woody debris. Though this snake can be abundant in parts of its range, it is rarely seen because of its fossorial lifestyle. It may also be found in grasslands adjacent to woodlands.

This species is common in the ecotone between woodlands and wetlands. The species' range extends from southwest Massachusetts, south to southern Alabama, west to Louisiana and north to Illinois. The eastern worm snake ( Carphophis amoenus amoenus) is a subspecies of the worm snake, Carphophis amoenus, a nonvenomous colubrid endemic to the Eastern Woodlands region of North America.

Download carphophis vermis