Rough Earth Snake

Snapshot

A tiny (7–10 inch) brown-gray fossorial snake with keeled scales and a pointed snout — Georgia Coastal Plain leaf-litter specialist eating earthworms. Non-venomous; leave alone.

Photos

(Photos pending — see photos/rough-earth-snake/MANIFEST.md.)

Description and identification

SREL: 7–10 inches; slender brown to gray; keeled scales; pointed snout. Young darker, sometimes with a light neck band lost with age. Belly tan to whitish, not sharply set off from the sides (unlike worm and red-bellied snakes). Keeled scales separate it from smooth earth snake and worm snake; brown snakes show dark dorsal/neck markings rough earth lacks.

Look-alikes

Smooth earth snake — smooth scales. Worm snake — pink contrasting belly. Brown snake — spotted pattern.

Range in Georgia

Southern Coastal Plain of the U.S.; scarce in the Piedmont. Absent from much of southwestern Georgia / peninsular Florida patterns noted by SREL — hedge local gaps. Full native range follows the southern Coastal Plain.

Habitat preferences

Forested habitats with plentiful ground cover — logs, litter, and debris on the Coastal Plain.

Natural history

Fossorial and secretive; live-bearing small colubrid. Most encounters are under cover objects in warm months.

Food preferences

Earthworms and similar soft soil invertebrates.

Temperament and encounters

Harmless. Replace cover; enjoy the ID puzzle from a photo, not a jar.

Conservation and legal notes

Protected throughout Georgia. Ground-cover retention helps these tiny snakes.

In Georgia, non-venomous snakes are protected nongame wildlife. Per Georgia DNR materials summarizing O.C.G.A. §27-1-28, it is illegal (a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and a year in jail) to possess or kill many nongame wildlife species, including non-venomous snakes. It is also illegal to disturb or destroy dens, holes, or homes of wildlife (O.C.G.A. §27-1-30). Report what DNR states; do not invent statutes or exceptions.

Georgia DNR’s georgiasnakes overview notes that among native snakes discussed there, only the eastern indigo and southern hognose are state-listed as threatened (indigo is also federally threatened). Roads, habitat loss, and fear-based killing still harm common species; calm ID from a distance is conservation work.

If you meet one

Give the snake room. These small fossorial snakes are harmless and benefit gardens and woodlots by eating earthworms and soft invertebrates. Identify from a distance; do not dig up cover piles to “check.” Local educators can help with distant photo ID. Leave wild snakes alone. Never pour chemicals into holes.