Western Worm Snake (Carphophis vermis)
Description: The western worm snake has a dark, black or purplish dorsal coloration, with a lighter, pink or reddish underside. Adults are usually from 7.5–11 inches in total length (including tail); however, the maximum recorded total length 14.8 inches.
Habitat: C. vermis is fossorial, and spends the vast majority of time buried in loose, rocky soil, or under damp forest leaf litter. It is abundant within its range, but rarely seen due to its secretive nature.
Range: The western worm snake is found in the United States in southern Iowa, southeastern Nebraska, eastern Kansas, western Illinois, Missouri, Louisiana, eastern Oklahoma, and northeastern Texas with isolated records from southwestern Wisconsin, southeastern Arkansas and middle Tennessee.
Diet: The western worm snake's diet consists almost entirely of earthworms, but it will also consume soft-bodied insects.
Reproduction: Little is known about the mating habits of the western worm snake, but breeding likely occurs in the early spring. Eggs are laid in the early summer. Clutch size is normally 1-8 eggs, and hatching takes place in August or September. Hatchlings range in size from 3 to 4 inches in total length.
Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.
»» Kingdom: Animalia - Animals
»» Phylum: Chordata - Chordates
»» Subphylum: Vertebrata - Vertebrates
»» Class: Reptilia - Reptiles
»» Order: Squamata - Scaled Reptiles
»» Suborder: Serpentes
»» Superfamily: Colubroidea
»» Family: Colubridae - Colubrids
»» Genus: Carphophis
»» Species: Carphophis vermis - Western Worm Snake
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Carphophis vermis", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Content may have been omitted from the original, but no content has been changed or extended.
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