Western wormsnakes are small, secretive, and seldom seen. Similar species: This small snake is Missouri's only snake that has the clearly contrasting purplish brown above and salmon pink on the belly and lower sides, and is otherwise unpatterned (no stripes, spots, rings, bands, or blotches). Newly hatched western wormsnakes are only 3½ to 4 inches long they have a purplish-black dorsum, and the ventral surface is orange red to pink. Males have longer tails than females, and they normally have keels or ridges on the dorsal scales above the anal plate. Wormsnakes have a pair of enlarged teeth at the rear of their mouth that are presumed to help with swallowing earthworms and other prey. The western wormsnake has smooth scales and a divided anal plate (the anal plate is the last belly scale of a snake, which covers the anal opening). The tail terminates in a harmless spike that also aids in maneuvering through soil. The head is flattened to aid in burrowing. Its dorsal (upperside) color is purple brown to black the ventral side (underside) is unmarked with a salmon-pink color extending up the sides. The western wormsnake is a small two-toned snake that lives in wooded areas or rocky hillsides.
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