Virginia striatula
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rough Earth Snake | ||||||||||||||||
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| Virginia striatula Linnaeus, 1766 |
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Coluber striatulus |
The Rough Earth Snake (Virginia striatula) is a species of non-venomous colubrid snake native to the southeastern United States, from Texas to Florida, as far north as Missouri and Virginia. It was first described by Carolus Linnaeus in 1766, as Coluber striatulus.
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[edit] Description
The Rough Earth Snake is a small, brown, unpatterned snake with lightly keeled scales (which gives it its common name), and a light colored underside. They do not typically grow beyond 10 inches in length, with 7 inches being average. It is easily mistaken for the Smooth Earth Snake, Virginia valeriae, which it shares range and habitat. The keeling on the scales being the only way to distinguish the species.
[edit] Behavior
Earth Snakes are completely harmless if encountered, but will readily defecate on you to defend themselves. This is just a way to get larger animals to leave them alone, however, and it is hoped that you too will learn to leave them alone when they do this! Although they do not strike, they do have teeth, but their mouths aren't large enough to grab human skin even if they tried.
They are a fossorial species, spending most of their time buried in leaf litter, loose soil, or beneath rotting logs or other ground debris. It prefers habitats that are not prone to flooding. Their primary diet consists of earthworms and other soft bodied arthropods. They are ovoviviparous, with 3-8 4 inch long young being born in mid-summer.
[edit] Diet
Earth Snakes eat a wide variety of suitably sized insects, earthworms and other invertebrates, including snails and slugs, making them a gardener's friend.
[edit] References
- Species Virginia striatula at The Reptile Database
- Checklist of Florida Amphibians and Reptiles: Rough Earth Snake
