Midwestern Wormsnake
Carphophis amoenus helenae
Size
9–12 in
Status
Uncommon
Venomous
No
Region
S & C Indiana
A tiny, glossy burrowing snake that looks and lives much like an earthworm. Rarely seen above ground.
Identification
A small, shiny snake with a plain brown back and a pink to salmon belly, the two colors meeting in a clean line along the side. The head is small and pointed and the tail ends in a tiny spine used for burrowing. Adults are only about 9–12 inches.
Habitat & Diet
Spends almost all its life underground or beneath rocks, logs, and leaf litter in moist woodlands. It feeds almost exclusively on earthworms and soft-bodied invertebrates.
Conservation in Indiana
Secretive habits make its status hard to assess, but it appears stable where woodland soils remain moist and undisturbed.
Similar Species & Taxonomy
This small, glossy, plain snake with a sharp tail tip is more often mistaken for an earthworm than for another snake; its pink belly, smooth scales, and dark back set it apart. A wormsnake (family Colubridae, sometimes placed in the Dipsadidae) of the genus Carphophis. The eastern and western wormsnakes are at times treated as separate species; Indiana's are the Midwestern form (Carphophis amoenus helenae).
United States Range Map Distribution
Distribution in Indiana
