Coffee worm snake facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Coffee worm snake
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Typhlopidae
Genus:	Amerotyphlops
Species:	A. tenuis
Binomial name
Amerotyphlops tenuis (Salvin, 1860)
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Synonyms
Typhlops tenuis Salvin, 1860 Typhlops basimaculatus Cope, 1867 Typhlops perditus W. Peters, 1869 Typhlops praelongus F. Müller, 1885 Typhlops tenuis — Boulenger, 1893 Typhlops stadelmani Schmidt, 1936 Typhlops praelongis Taylor, 1939 (ex errore) Typhlops tenuis — Dixon & F.S. Hendricks, 1979 Amerotyphlops tenuis — Hedges et al., 2014

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The coffee worm snake (scientific name: Amerotyphlops tenuis) is a type of harmless blind snake. You can find it in countries like Mexico and Guatemala. It's a unique snake because it doesn't have any different types or "subspecies" that we know of right now.

Where Does It Live?

This snake lives in parts of Mexico, especially in an area called Veracruz. It also lives further south in Guatemala, in places like Alta Verapaz and Baja Verapaz. Some older maps used to show it in Honduras too. But now, scientists believe a similar snake, the Amerotyphlops stadelmani, is the one that lives only in Honduras. The first place where a coffee worm snake was officially found and studied was in Cobán, Guatemala.

What Is Its Home Like?

The coffee worm snake likes to live in forests that are moist, or a bit wet. It can also be found in forests that have been changed by people, and even in farm fields. These snakes live from sea level up to about 800 meters (2,600 feet) high.

This snake is a fossorial species. This means it spends most of its time underground, burrowing through the soil. Because it lives hidden underground, it's quite hard to find. Even so, in some areas, there can be many of them living together.

Is It Endangered?

The coffee worm snake is listed as "Least Concern" (LC) by the IUCN. The IUCN is a group that keeps track of how many animals are left in the world. Being "Least Concern" means that this snake is not currently in danger of disappearing.

Scientists believe there are many coffee worm snakes around. They also think its population is not shrinking quickly. This is why it's not listed in a more threatened group. The last time its status was checked was in 2007. We don't know if its numbers are going up or down right now.