The Worm Turns

Dedicated exclusively to field herping.

Moderator: Scott Waters

Post Reply
User avatar
BillMcGighan
Posts: 2362
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:23 am
Location: Unicoi, TN

The Worm Turns

Post by BillMcGighan »

Eastern Wormsnakes (Carphophis amoenus amoenus) are not rare, by any means.
You just don’t find them as often in the south as some other species.


They are curious little aliens that live in a whole other world than ours.


Image

Image

Image



Please feel free to add any pics of any you've found (Easterns or Midwesterns). :) :)
gretzkyrh4
Posts: 661
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 12:17 pm
Location: Baton Rouge, LA

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by gretzkyrh4 »

Bill,

Very cool little snake. Though a little outside of the SE chapters range, a few of us were lucky enough to flip our lifer worm snake here in Louisiana just the other evening (credit goes to ritt for spotting the tiny guy under the log).

Image

Thanks for sharing your shots.

Chris
Tamara D. McConnell
Posts: 2248
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:42 am

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by Tamara D. McConnell »

I love worm snakes. Here is a Carphophis amoenus helenae, found in St. Tammany Parish, LA, in Nov 2011.
Image
User avatar
Tim Borski
Posts: 1855
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:28 am
Location: FL Keys
Contact:

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by Tim Borski »

Am I correct in calling this a Worm snake?
Norcross, GA


Image

Tim
User avatar
Steve Atkins
Posts: 744
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 5:14 pm
Location: Asheville NC

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by Steve Atkins »

Do you find those in our area? I have never seen one.
User avatar
BillMcGighan
Posts: 2362
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:23 am
Location: Unicoi, TN

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by BillMcGighan »

Tamara and Chris
Thanks for the “helenae”. They seem to have a bolder ventral color. I’ve seen some strong pinks in Easterns, but our locals seem to have subtle pink.

Just for nice to know, if you view Corey Raimond’s data base record 2657 of a “helenae”, you can see the midwestern’s head scales well enough to see the characteristic prefrontal scales and internasals are fused.

Tim
Looks like you have an eastern Worm there.
The closest animal that I’ve had folks confuse with a Worm is a Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae), and, if you don’t recognize it by gestalt, the dorsolateral smooth scale rows at midsection are 13 on a Worm and 15 (sometimes 17) on an Earth.


fox cove 4
Do you find those in our area? I have never seen one.
You should have them on your side of the mountains.
They can live literally right under you for years and you'll never know it till the right conditions (flooding, disturbed earth, etc.). I’ve owned this house since 1978 and never saw one in my neighborhood until my neighbor reworked an embankment with a backhoe last year!

I've found more of them under warm rocks or bark on cool days than warm.
I’ve found more Easterns in forested areas than fields.
They were very commonplace in the northern NJ Appalachians where I grew up.
User avatar
Denmeade
Posts: 74
Joined: April 30th, 2012, 3:11 pm
Location: Lee County, Florida

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by Denmeade »

there pretty cool, I never seen one of these yet, I need to see if there in my area.
User avatar
BillMcGighan
Posts: 2362
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:23 am
Location: Unicoi, TN

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by BillMcGighan »

Midwesterns come right to the border over in the western panhandle.
User avatar
Josh Holbrook
Posts: 2196
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:11 am
Location: Western North Carolina
Contact:

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by Josh Holbrook »

Cool pictures all. It is interesting, Bill, that quite often there's whole entire worlds functioning happily right among us without our ever knowing. I felt the same when I (re)discovered salamandering.
User avatar
Tim Borski
Posts: 1855
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:28 am
Location: FL Keys
Contact:

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by Tim Borski »

I’ve owned this house since 1978 and never saw one in my neighborhood until my neighbor reworked an embankment with a backhoe last year!
Bill, I have no experience with them beyond I flipped a lone one under a piece of downed drift fence one morning, went back that night with a light and found 15 or 20 in a couple hours. Maybe night time is the right time(?)

If you do it, let us know how it works out, Ok?

Tim
User avatar
BillMcGighan
Posts: 2362
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:23 am
Location: Unicoi, TN

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by BillMcGighan »

Josh
It is interesting, Bill, that quite often there's whole entire worlds functioning happily right among us
You got that right, JH. Salamanders bring that out well.
Others that come to mind:
Your area in garden areas.
Flipping junk in vacant lots in the heart of large and small cities.
I once dug a 4 foot deep hole, hit an ant nest, and subsequently several Ramphotyphlops.



Tim
Maybe night time is the right time(?)
Good point, Tim.
We see that at night, don't we, with salamanders on wet mountain trails, ring-necks in rockwalls, corns in the ficus, Subocs on rock cuts, so why not in or around a worm colony?
Temps, season, moisture, and food are probable factors.

Been out many times at night here with a light with no worms, but there is a place I know that has a higher population density of WSs. This may be worth a shot! If I do, I'll let you know. :D
User avatar
Josh Holbrook
Posts: 2196
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:11 am
Location: Western North Carolina
Contact:

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by Josh Holbrook »

BillMcGighan wrote: Been out many times at night here with a light with no worms, but there is a place I know that has a higher population density of WSs. This may be worth a shot! If I do, I'll let you know. :D
I think timing is everything. Josh Young has been hiking through the night lately and has found that a lot of the aquatic salamanders (and who knows what else) come out to browse at 4 or 5 am.
User avatar
Tim Borski
Posts: 1855
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:28 am
Location: FL Keys
Contact:

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by Tim Borski »

so why not in or around a worm colony?
Bill, are they known to live in/around "loose colonies?" If so, that's interesting.

Josh Holbrook wrote:
BillMcGighan wrote: Been out many times at night here with a light with no worms, but there is a place I know that has a higher population density of WSs. This may be worth a shot! If I do, I'll let you know. :D
I think timing is everything. Josh Young has been hiking through the night lately and has found that a lot of the aquatic salamanders (and who knows what else) come out to browse at 4 or 5 am.
5A is definately a "witching hour." I've had quality encounters more times than I can count, on or around then.

Tim
Jacksnipe
Posts: 41
Joined: April 30th, 2012, 1:12 pm
Location: Emden/Germany
Contact:

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by Jacksnipe »

Moin (that's German) folks,

this is a worm snake I found on April 11th under tin in Calabash/North Carolina, the only one of my trip:

Image

Regards,

Frank
User avatar
JakeScott
Posts: 690
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 5:26 pm
Location: Gainesville, FL
Contact:

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by JakeScott »

I've found where they are, they are quite common. But I haven't found a lot in the the most southern part of their range.
In North Georgia where they intergrade, I've seen them two or three per rock.
These next two are westerns from the Winding Staircase of Arkansas. We found maybe six in 15 minutes of turning over stones on a north facing slope. I don't know about colonizing, but they sure seem to be in bunches.
Juvi C. vermis, which are striking.
Image
Adult C. vermis, which are a lot less striking.
Image

This is an eastern from Central North Carolina. Didn't find a lot here, but I also didn't search to diligently.
C. a. amoenus
Image

And this one from Maryland. Found two under the same tarp this day.
C. a. amoenus
Image

-Jake
User avatar
BillMcGighan
Posts: 2362
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:23 am
Location: Unicoi, TN

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by BillMcGighan »

Josh and Tim
I used “colonies” figuratively.
To me, it’s more like Jake said, “they sure seem to be in bunches.” I guess when you’re only a few inches and rarely come onto the surface, it pays to hang with your peeps, especially to find a date!

They remind me of Tantilla, at least in central Florida, where you often have to have the right temp as well as habitat conditions, then you may find several.




Jacksnipe, Danke schön!
Wow, could you live any farther north in Germany???



Jake
That first “vermis” looks like someone masked it off and painted it! :lol:
Jacksnipe
Posts: 41
Joined: April 30th, 2012, 1:12 pm
Location: Emden/Germany
Contact:

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by Jacksnipe »

Bill: "Wow, could you live any farther north in Germany???"

Your German is perfect!

Of course! If I lived in Flensburg which is situated close to the Danish border. But it's cold enough here, I don't want to move farther north ;-)

It's a nice place to live here - unfortunately almost without snakes...

Frank
User avatar
Josh Holbrook
Posts: 2196
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:11 am
Location: Western North Carolina
Contact:

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by Josh Holbrook »

Jacksnipe wrote: It's a nice place to live here - unfortunately almost without snakes...
Keine Schlangen = Kein spass :mrgreen:
Jacksnipe
Posts: 41
Joined: April 30th, 2012, 1:12 pm
Location: Emden/Germany
Contact:

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by Jacksnipe »

You scare me with your German ;-)

If I wrote we don't have almost any snakes I meant that we have just one species in our county here in the northwestern part of Germany. And it is even restricted on few bogs: The Common Adder.

I've taken so many pictures of this creature so far that I had the desire to shoot something new.
Here are some photographs (hopefully it is not against the rules in this forum to present a snake nonnative to the Southeast):

http://franksudendey.blogspot.de/2011_0 ... chive.html

Add two lizard species (one is shown as well), three newts, two toads, four frogs then the herpetofauna is complete ;-(

So that's why I have to return to South Carolina at least one more time!

Frank
Coluber Constrictor
Posts: 1165
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:25 am
Location: Mobile, AL

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by Coluber Constrictor »

.
User avatar
Josh Holbrook
Posts: 2196
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:11 am
Location: Western North Carolina
Contact:

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by Josh Holbrook »

Coluber Constrictor wrote: but I wonder if this is just because they have been overlooked in some areas?
Most definitely. Get to work on em' :beer:
Barry R
Posts: 463
Joined: March 16th, 2011, 11:27 am
Location: Shawnee Hills, IN

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by Barry R »

A couple of Southern Indiana Carphophis...
Image

Image

Image
Tamara D. McConnell
Posts: 2248
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:42 am

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by Tamara D. McConnell »

Nice ones, Barry. I especially like the first shot.
User avatar
ThatFrogGuy
Posts: 744
Joined: April 15th, 2011, 1:29 pm
Location: Southern Indiana
Contact:

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by ThatFrogGuy »

Juvie helenae from Snake road
Image
Midwestern Worm Snake (Carphophis amoenus helenae) by Zach Truelock, on Flickr

And an adult from S. Indiana
Image
Midwestern Worm Snake (Carphophis amoenus helenae) by Zach Truelock, on Flickr
Tamara D. McConnell
Posts: 2248
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:42 am

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by Tamara D. McConnell »

Nice shots, Frog guy.
User avatar
jayder85
Posts: 369
Joined: January 1st, 2012, 7:14 am
Location: Pike County KY
Contact:

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by jayder85 »

Carphophis are an awesome group of snakes! Unfortunately I don't have any photographs of any but I can give some tips on finding them. Almost all of my eastern herp locations in KY I can turn up multiple animals per trip. I find that they prefer moist environs to dry in my area at least. Shale banks near streams often turn up the animals. Pieces of carpet or rubber matting that holds moisture underneath will always hold these animals in my area, and may work well where all of you live for those of you that have yet to turn up an animal. Also bear in mind that all of my places where I find them routinely are the mountainous region of KY in wooded lots or fields and clearings surrounded by woods and there is also always some sort of water in the vicinity in the form of a creek or drainage. I also turn them up often in the same habitat cruising roads both on rainy nights and clear nights, but definately more so on rainy nights when water forces them out of their burrows.
User avatar
BillMcGighan
Posts: 2362
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:23 am
Location: Unicoi, TN

Re: The Worm Turns

Post by BillMcGighan »

Barry and Zach,
Thanks for those excellent contributions.


Zach, good pics, don't be stingy.
size them to 800 to 1000 pixels wide.


JD
Good info for all!
Post Reply