Virginia striatula
Photo by RW Van Devender
Description: The rough earth snake has a solid brown or gray back and a light colored belly. It may have a pale band across the back of its small head. Rough earth snakes are very small and are characterized by their “rough” or keeled scales.
Feeding/Diet: Earth snakes feed on earthworms and soft-bodied insects.
Habitat/Range: This snake is typically very secretive, living underground in rotting logs or under other objects. Rough earth snakes can sometimes be found in flowerbeds around homes.
Reproduction: In July or August, they give live birth to 3–11 babies, which are usually darker than the adults and have a more distinct neckband.
The shaded region represents the range of the rough earth snake in North Carolina.
Photo by RW Van Devender
Photo by JD Willson
This website created by: J. Willson, Y. Kornilev, W. Anderson, G. Connette and E. Eskew.
For comments or questions contact M. Dorcas: midorcas@davidson.edu.
M. Dorcas homepage: http://bio.davidson.edu/dorcas
Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina 28035-1719.
Text and maps from: Dorcas, M. E. 2004. A Guide to the Snakes of North Carolina. Davidson College - Herpetology Laboratory, Davidson, NC. – Copyright by Michael E. Dorcas.
Partial Funding for this website provided by a Associate Colleges of the South, National Science Foundation, and Duke Energy.