While visiting a glade in Missouri, I found my first-ever specimen of this small reptile. This uniformly brown creature has a somewhat cone-shaped head and is usually less than ten inches long.
Rough Earth Snakes are entirely terrestrial and are most commonly found under objects on the ground surface. This is primarily a species of open hardwoods, pine woods, grassy areas, and suburban woodlots – it prefers areas with sunlit openings.
This reptile eats invertebrates. It feeds almost exclusively on earthworms, although slugs, snails, sow bugs, insect eggs and larvae have also been found in their stomachs. It is seldom found above ground. During warm, damp weather, individuals may become active at night.
Rough Earth Snakes typically mate in spring or early summer and give live birth to 3-11 babies in July or August. The babies are usually darker than the adults and often have a distinct neckband.
To verify its identification, and to distinguish it from the very similar Smooth Earth Snake, one must look closely: the Rough Earth Snake has strongly keeled scales along the back (which makes it feel rough).
It was neat to encounter this snake in the field, especially after having found several example of its smooth-scaled relative.