Snakes alive! This little guy eats slugs

More proof my suburban Sacramento garden has become a jungle: My cat caught a snake.

Fortunately, the snake survived and was able to wriggle back into leaves under some shady shrubs.

This little snake is not the first of its kind that’s popped up in that section of my garden. Last May, I found a similar one (perhaps its snake momma?) when moving some rocks.

I thought at first it was the world’s largest red worm – it looked similar to a wiggler and my soil is packed with worms. But this critter moved differently – like a snake – as it quickly slithered back out of sight.

These little red reptiles are sharp-tailed snakes, a true garden good guy. They eat slugs.

Anything that eats slugs is OK by me.

Native to Sacramento Valley, sharp-tailed snakes are shy and docile reptiles, preferring to hide in the shade or burrow into soft soil. They live where they find their favorite food – slugs – under rocks or in other dark, cool, shady places.

Thinner than a No. 2 pencil, they tend to be brownish or brick red but also can be bubblegum pink. Their underbelly is barred with black and white markings. Adults grow to 12 to 18 inches long.

Sharp-tailed snakes get their nickname from a pin-like spine, actually the last vertebrae of their tail. They use this spine to nail slimy slugs or other prey and keep their dinner from slipping away. According to snake experts, the tail spine is not toxic and can’t harm humans. (It didn’t seem to do any damage to the cat, either.)

And yes, they look like big red worms. Hence, one of their nicknames: Worm snake.

Sharp-tailed snakes tend to live their whole lives with little if any notice from people. They’re part of our native Sacramento wildlife and natural ecosystem, and not considered endangered.

Their greatest threat (at least in my garden) is a curious cat.