10 Snakes That Eat Insects

Snakes are carnivores that feed on small mammals like frogs, amphibians, rodents, lizards, and birds’ eggs. But are there any snakes that eat insects? As we know, snakes are wild animals that can eat almost everything. Some snake species can swallow everything that comes their way. But some species eat insects. In this blog, we will discuss some snake species that feed on insects. 

Snakes That Eat Insects

Here are some snakes species that eat insects.

1- Flowerpot Snakes

Flowerpot snakes, brahminy blind snakes, or sometimes scolecophidian snakes are small snakes that can grow up to 15 cm. Well, these are snakes, but they look like worms, and they belong to the family Typhlopidae, which are usually native to Africa and Asia. These snakes are non-venomous. At night, they can be seen on the ground, and sometimes they can also be seen high on trees. 

As we talked about before that, they are so small, like a size of a worm, and they have blunt heads and cylindrical bodies with short tails. Their bodies are closed with smooth and shiny scales if we talk about their diet because they are small, so their diet also includes small insects like termites, ants, and other soft-bodied arthropods. 

2- Milk Snakes

Milk snakes belong to the colubrid family and are mainly found throughout the eastern United States. Around 25 individual subspecies of milk snakes known around the geographical region usually inhabit dry, rocky areas, farmlands, and forest regions. They change or inhabit different regions according to season. They are non-venomous or are not harmful to humans.

These snakes can be small as 36 cm and big as 183 cm, and they weigh around 38 to 225 g. Well, compared to flowerpot snakes, these are somehow larger than them, but they can weigh more depending upon the species. They have a striped appearance and shiny scales on their body. Milk snakes can be in two color combinations. They can be red-black-yellow or white-black-red now; if we talk about their diet, because they are small so their diet also includes small insects like animals like termites, crickets, slugs, and earthworms. 

3- Young Pythons

Well, we are talking about only young pythons, not adults. These snakes are mainly found in Asia, Africa, and Australia and usually inhabit grasslands, rainforests, swamps, woodlands, rocky areas, and scrublands. Pythons are non-venomous, which is why they are mostly kept as pets. Around 42 species of pythons have been recognized.

Pythons are usually heavy and large-bodied. They come in different body colors and patterns depending on the species. Their size ranges from 2 feet to 33 feet, and they weigh 7 ounces to 250 pounds. More enormous pythons feed on larger mammals, but young pythons usually feed on small insects and their babies.

Lifespan of a Ball Python

4- Young Desert Rosy Boa

There are four boa species in total; the rosy desert boa is one of them native to the continental United States. Because they are desert snakes, they mostly prefer to live in rocky, sandy, and dry areas. And to avoid the heat, these snakes burrow them in the sand. 

Desert rosy boas have rusty maroon stripes that are rosy pink or light brown. Because they are rosy pink in color, their name is also the same as their color and brown color because they mainly inhabit sandy or desert areas. Baby or young desert rosy boas eat small insects, but their diet increases with age.

Snakes Lifespan

5- Rough Green Snakes

You can call green snakes or green grass snakes by any of the two names. These snakes are found all over the eastern and Southeastern United States and belong to the colubrid snake family. They will likely live in densely vegetated areas, moist woods, and home backyards. These snakes are non-venomous and are primarily active during the day. 

Rough green snakes have long slender bodies and rough scales on their body, with green body color and belly color, maybe white creamy, or yellow. These snakes can grow from 20 to 30 inches in length. The diet of green snakes includes insects and vertebrates like caterpillars, spiders, moths, and crickets, and when they grow more, they can also eat frogs and lizards.

Animals That Live on Trees

6- Worm Snakes

Worm snakes also belong to the colubrid snake family. Because they look like worms, they are called worm snakes. They are found in the Eastern United States; hence they are also called eastern worm snakes, these snakes inhabit forest areas, logs, and stones, and they can burrow themselves in soft soil. Worm snakes are non-venomous. 

Due to their small size of about 7-14 inches, they have a small flattened head and small eyes, smooth scales, and sturdy tails. They usually have light to dark brown color with pink or white bellies. The diet of worm snakes includes insects like earthworms and other small insects they find under the soil.

7- Water Snakes

Water snakes are primarily found in the southern and eastern United States. They are non-venomous snakes and they inhabit freshwater wetlands in lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, marshes, and swamps. 

Water snakes have muscular bodies with keeled scales and triangular heads. Their bodies have shades like gray, brown, olive green, and dark bands on their back. They can reach from 22 to 44 inches. The diet of water snakes includes fish and frogs; they can also eat insects and worms whenever they want.

Animals That Live in Water

8- Corn Snakes

Corn snakes or red rat snakes are abundant in Florida, southeastern and central United States and are species of rat snakes. They inhabit rocky hillsides, meadowlands, woodlots, and wooded groves. They can also live in deserts, forests, oceans, and lakes. Snakes live on trees, some in water, and because they are ground dwellers, they also live underground.

They have slender bodies, outlined red blotches on their back, and their body color is orange or brownish yellow. Well, adult corn snakes eat rodents primarily found in crops and fields, so they can be helpful for people and also in controlling the population of those wild rodents. Young corn snakes eat insects like ants and centipedes.

Do Snakes Eat Rabbits

9- Garter Snakes

Garter snakes are found in North and Central America and inhabit wetlands of marshes, ponds, sloughs, lakes, and streams. They can also be found in agricultural lands like rice fields, irrigations, and drainage canals. There are around 35 known species of garter snakes. 

They have slender bodies and have three stripes that can be yellow, white, blue, greenish, or brown, and these stripes run along their body. Adults are black, greenish-brown, gray, or tan. These snakes can grow between 15 to 25 inches in length. So due to their small size their diet includes insects like earthworms, crickets, and other insects.

10- Barbados Thread Snakes

These snakes are so small as you can guess the size of these snakes by a single spaghetti. The world’s smallest snake species has a size of only 4.1 inches and an average weight of around 0.6 g. They can be found only on the Caribbean island of Barbados. They are non-venomous snakes. The diet of Barbados thread snake includes larvae and insects like ants and termites. As you have seen that they are soo small, and they are not able to eat such a large meal so that’s why their diet is also tiny.

Animals That Live in Forests

FAQs

Conclusion

We have seen many giant snakes that eat mostly large meals, like rodents, rabbits, or larger mammals, but in the world, there are also such snakes that are very small in size. These snakes are so small that they can survive only by eating different types of small insects, and the majority of small snakes that eat insects are non-venomous. And if you see Barbados thread snakes, they are so small that you can close them in your hands quickly, so how can these snakes eat a large meal? So for these snakes, only insect food is better.

We have seen that most snake species eat small food like insects when they are young and when they become adults, they will go for large meals for feeding. But some snake species stay small in size because their species are like that, so they constantly eat insects like small things for feeding.

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