Worm Snake

Carphophis amaenus, (Say)

Colouration: Chestnut-brown above; salmon-pink on the lower portion of the sides and the abdomen. With alcoholic specimens this latter colour fades to yellow.
Dimensions: The measurements given are of an adult.
Distribution: Southern Massachusetts, southward to the Gulf of Mexico; westward to Kansas. The species is particularly abundant in the Black Mountains of North Carolina.
Habits: While quite abundant in many districts, this worm-like reptile is not commonly seen. It may sometimes be found wandering over damp leaves in the woods, after heavy rains, but its diminutive size and sober colours render it inconspicuous when abroad from its subterraneous haunts, and the species is considered rare in many localities where careful search would reveal the presence of numerous specimens. These snakes are often unearthed by the plough, they may also be found under the soft, loose bark of fallen and decaying tree trunks, or in the mouldy deposits, consisting of fallen leaves and disintegrating vegetation that exist in timbered regions. The species feeds largely upon earthworms and the soft-bodied grubs of insects. In captivity it always endeavours to secrete itself and lives but a short time unless provided with moss and leaves or sand in which to hide. It is a very mild-tempered reptile and can seldom be induced to bite.

Size very small. Body moderately stout, with smooth, opalescent scales; head not distinct from the neck and terminating in a pointed snout. The eyes are very small.

Variations.--Specimens of an opalescent, purplish-black above and pink beneath, are found along the Mississippi Valley and westward to Kansas. They have been described as a distinct species, under the scientific appellation of Carphophis vermis. However, the points employed in separating this form from the typical snake are superficial, and the former reptile appears to constitute but a colour variation. Young specimens are always much darker than the parent. During the second year they change from a dark gray to the brown of the adult specimen.

Total Length . . . . . 9 1/2 inches.

Length of Tail . . . . . 1 3/4 inches.

Greatest Diameter . . . . . 1/4 inches.

Width of Head . . . . . 7/3 2 inches.

The Worm Snake is oviparous, depositing a small number of elongated, soft eggs during the later part of July or early in August. The young snakes are rather large in proportion to the size of the parent, though beside a half-grown earthworm, they appear diminutive. A freshly hatched specimen measures 3 1/2 inches in length, and slightly less than an one-eighth of an inch in diameter at the thickest part of the body. It is very probable that the larvae of ants form a large part of the food of these minute reptiles.

The Genus Ficimia. Several Mexican species are recognised; one occurs in the United States.

Size rather small; body stout; head slightly distinct. Snout sharp and conical; slightly upturned. Examined from above, the head looks much pointed; from the side, the effect is similar to the Hog-nosed Snakes, Heterodon--described in a succeeding chapter, but from those serpents the present reptile may be easily told by its smooth scales.

The teeth of the upper jaw are smooth and of equal size. The rear border of the rostral (nose) plate, extends backward on the head between the pair of plates (internasals) situated near the snout, and the prefrontals (the pair following the internasals).