Eastern Smooth Earthsnake Virginia valeriae valeriae (Baird and Girard, 1853)    
Kingdom Animalia   >   Phylum Chordata   >   Class Reptilia   >   Order Squamata   >   Family Colubridae   >   Genus Virginia   

Status:

Eastern Smooth Earth Snake (Virginia valeriae valeriae) is a tiny, inconspicuous, grayish-brown snake, generally rarely-encountered by humans. This snake is largely fossorial (active underground) or found beneath cover objects, and only likely to be observed above ground after heavy rains. Earth snakes feed primarily on earthworms, and are harmless to people (Tennant, 2003). This is the more widespread subspecies of V. valeriae, found across most of Maryland, except western Garrett Co., where it is replaced by V. valeriae pulchra, the enigmatic Mountain Earth Snake (Maryland DNR site).

There are 149 records in the project database.

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An Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Baltimore Co., Maryland (5/3/2015). Photo by Richard Orr. (MBP list)

An Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (3/12/2015). First record for Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), found by a grounds crew in a pile of leaf litter. Photo by Robert Aguilar, SERC. (MBP list)

An Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Prince George's Co., Maryland (5/25/2017). Photo by Justin Lee. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Prince George's Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Justin Lee, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Justin Lee via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

A Smooth Earthsnake at Battle Creek Cypress Swamp, Calvert Co., Maryland (4/5/2008). Photo by Sarel Cousins. (MBP list)

An Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Calvert Co., Maryland (10/17/2016). Photo by Justin Lee. (MBP list)

An Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Montgomery Co., Maryland (7/4/2013). Photo by Robert Aguilar, SERC. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Carroll Co., Maryland (6/29/2022). (c) tomfeild, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tom Feild. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Caroline Co., Maryland (4/15/2011). (c) Hans Holbrook, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Hans Holbrook. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in St. Mary's Co., Maryland (11/5/2023). (c) spiderqueen104, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by spiderqueen104 via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

An Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Howard Co., Maryland (4/28/2011). Photo by Sue Muller. (MBP list)

An Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Calvert Co., Maryland (10/17/2016). Photo by Justin Lee. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Prince George's Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Justin Lee, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Justin Lee via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (3/30/2020). (c) Stephen John Davies, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Stephen John Davies via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Caroline Co., Maryland (4/15/2011). (c) Hans Holbrook, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Hans Holbrook. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (3/30/2020). (c) Stephen John Davies, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Stephen John Davies via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (3/30/2020). (c) Stephen John Davies, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Stephen John Davies via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

An Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Baltimore Co., Maryland (4/14/2012). Photo by Keith Eric Costley. (MBP list)

An Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Prince George's Co., Maryland (7/2/2015). Photo by Justin Lee. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Frederick Co., Maryland (3/31/2024). (c) Frode Jacobsen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

An Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Baltimore Co., Maryland (4/14/2012). Photo by Keith Eric Costley. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Prince George's Co., Maryland (6/6/2022). (c) arapp5, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by arapp5 via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

An Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Baltimore Co., Maryland (5/3/2015). Photo by Richard Orr. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Worcester Co., Maryland (3/29/2023). (c) daffodil7447, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by daffodil7447 via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Howard Co., Maryland (9/11/2020). (c) biconroy, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by biconroy via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Charles Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Justin Lee, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Justin Lee via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Aleta Quinn, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Aleta Quinn via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Charles Co., Maryland (7/25/2021). (c) geckobrah, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by geckobrah via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

An Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Calvert Co., Maryland (6/1/2019). Photo by Ben Springer. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Charles Co., Maryland (7/25/2021). (c) geckobrah, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by geckobrah via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Carroll Co., Maryland (6/2/2022). (c) tomfeild, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tom Feild. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Prince George's Co., Maryland (6/6/2022). (c) arapp5, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by arapp5 via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Baltimore Co., Maryland (5/21/2022). (c) Frode Jacobsen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake in Carroll Co., Maryland (6/2/2022). (c) tomfeild, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Tom Feild. (MBP list)


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