Some Small Snakes

When reptile enthusiasts talk about snakes, they often gravitate toward the largest and most impressive serpents.  Boas, pythons, and anacondas take the limelight.  These are the species people want to own, sell, and trade.  They are featured in zoos, serpentariums, and expos.  While big snakes are fascinating and imposing animals, they often cause small species to be overlooked.  

Smaller snakes, three feet long and less, make up the majority of snake species around the world. These gentle snakes are unassuming, often shy creatures that rarely bite.  They can be encountered in our own backyards among the leaf litter or by flipping objects like flat logs, boards, and tins.  They might not be the giants that inspire both fear and obsession, but they do possess a beauty and an elegance all their own.  I have been lucky enough to notice a few of Ohio’s smaller snake species and have been enchanted by them.  They are secretive and fossorial, but given their time in the light, will reveal what remarkable reptiles they really are.

The eastern wormsnake (Carphophis amoenus amoenus)—so named because it closely resembles a worm—grows a mere 8 to 10 inches in length.  These small snakes are found in southern Ohio in moist woodlands and hillside seeps.  I was fortunate enough to stumble upon one of these burrowers out in the open in mid-may.  They are more commonly found below logs and coverboards, where they hunt for worms and other soft-bodied invertebrates.  As summer temperatures dry up the landscape, wormsnakes burrow several feet underground to escape the heat.  

These thin snakes are a uniform glossy tan or pinkish color with smooth scales.  There is no distinction between the body and the narrow head, and the eyes are black and beady.  As I held the small, wriggling wormsnake, I felt the tip of its tail prick my hand.  An unusual feature of the wormsnake is a sharp spine projecting from the base of the tail.  This tail spine has lead many a handler to the false conclusion that these snakes possess a stinger.

Similar in size to the wormsnake, at around 7 to 10 inches in length, is the eastern smooth earthsnake (Virginia valeriae valeriae).  Earthsnakes are slightly chunkier than worm snakes, have larger, more developed eyes, and lack a tail spine.  They are a uniform brownish-tan to grayish-silver in coloration.  This species is considered rather rare throughout most of its range, which includes just a handful of southern Ohio counties.  

I discovered my first earthsnake quite by accident.  I was helping track a box turtle when I happened to notice a few exposed scales among the leaf litter.  I grabbed what, at first glance, appeared to be a very fat worm snake.  As I handled my catch, however, I was struck by how “snakey" the animal was; it didn't remind me of a worm at all.  The snake even lifted its head to periscope up at me like a tiny racer.  While examining my photos later, I realized that the snake was in fact an eastern smooth earthsnake.  

These secretive, forest-dwelling snakes feed on slugs and worms.  They are burrowers, usually found in the soil or under logs and other debris.  They are viviparous, meaning they give birth to live young.  The wormsnake lays eggs.

The reclusive northern ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus) is one of our most stunning species, and grows from 10 to 16 inches in length.  These snakes get their name from the distinct, yellow-orange ring around the base of the head.  This orange coloration extends along the ring-necked snake’s entire belly.  It is thought that this bright coloration could be a warning of the snakes' mildly toxic saliva.  The toxin poses no harm to humans, and the snakes never bite when caught.  Instead they secrete a foul smelling musk and struggle violently.  Ring-neckeds occur throughout much of Ohio, and are particularly prevalent in the wooded southeastern portion of the state.

When I have found these snakes beneath logs and coverboards, they are almost always with others of the same species.  Their communal nature doesn't stop there.  When it is time for a female ring-necked snakes to lay eggs, she will seek out a communal nest.  Several females will lay their eggs together in a fallen log or crevice exposed to the sun.

The northern brownsnake or Dekay’s snake (Storeria dekayi dekayi) and its close relative, the look-alike midland brownsnake (Storeria dekayi wrightorum), grow only 8 to 12 inches in length.  These small serpents are among the most gentle of our native snakes.  When handled, they make no attempt to strike.  Musk is their only defense.

Northern and midland brownsnakes are nearly indistinguishable.  Both can be a light tan, brown, or reddish color.  The only distinction between the two (other than scale counts) is the spots running the length of the body.  Midland brownsnakes display spots connected by crossbands while northern brownsnakes do not.  Their range includes many of the counties along Lake Erie and down into southern Ohio along a strip that bisects the state. 

I regularly find these familiar snakes below cover boards and rocks.  They are often discovered in groups, sometimes with other species of snakes such as the eastern garter snake.  They feed on worms and other invertebrates.  

Upon detection of each of my small snakes, I was astonished by how easily I could have walked right past these hidden gems.  Secretive creatures like snakes don't draw attention to their presence, making them all the more fascinating.  You have to do a little work to encounter them.  Small snakes, and other easily overlooked creatures, have changed the way I walk through a woodland.  I now check every crevice and possible hiding-place in the hopes of finding another small, coiled secret.