Rough Earth Snake (Virginia striatula)

Rough Earth Snake
Photograph by LA Dawson. Some rights reserved. (view image details)

ROUGH EARTH SNAKE FACTS

Description
The Rough Earth Snake is brown or gray brown, with no pattern above. The underside is light yellow or cream. The head is small with pointed snout, and there may be a faint light ring round the neck. Juveniles are darker than adults and have a white or pale gray ring around the neck. The scales are keeled. It is similar to the Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae), which has smoother scales.

Size
Grows to 32cm. Average length is about 18cm - 25cm

Environment
It spends most of its time in leaf litter, loose soil, or under rotting logs.

Food
eats insects, earthworms, slugs, snails and other soft bodied invertebrates.

Breeding
They are ovoviviparous and give birth to 3 - 8 young in mid-summer. Young are about 10cm long.

Range
found in south eastern United States from Texas to Florida and north to Missouri and Virginia.

Notes
The Rough Earth Snake is non-venomous and harmless to humans. When handled they may strike, but their mouths are not large enough to bite people. They also excrete to deter when harassed.

Classification

Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata (Serpentes)
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Virginia
Species:	striatula
Common Name:	Rough Earth Snake

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