Mountain Earth Snake

(Virginia pulchra)

Mountain Earth Snake (Virginia pulchra)

Identification: Snake 7 to 13 inches in length. A small snake with no distinctive markings. Body color gray, brown, red-brown, or yellow brown. Body usually with small, widely scattered small dots. Top of head usually darker than the body, and sometimes with a diffuse dark stripe between the eye and nostril. Sometimes with a very vague dorsal stripe. Belly pink to white, or gray. Upper jaw with 6 upper labial scales. Neck with 15 scale rows and midbody with 17 scales rows. Scales weakly keeled and anal plate divided.

Geographical Variation: None.

Range (see map below): This species has a highly restricted distribution in the hills and mountains of central Pennsylvania, extreme western Maryland, eastern West Virginia, southeastern Virginia, and extreme northwestern North Carolina.

Habitat: This species is most often found in wet, deciduous forest or wooded hillsides.

Food: Unknown, but presumably the same as the Smooth Earth Snake (earthworms, slugs, and snails).

Behavior: Unknown, but presumably the same as the Smooth Earth Snake.

Reproduction:  Unknown.

Mountain Earth Snake (Virginia pulchra)

Similar Species:

Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae)

Rough Earth Snake (Virginia striatula)