Red-bellied Snake
Storeria occipitomaculata • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Storeria, Species: Storeria occipitomaculata
Widely distributed across eastern North America, ranging from southern Canada down through the eastern and midwestern United States to the Gulf Coast.
Look up Red-bellied Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Storeria, Species: Storeria occipitomaculata
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, as they have a wide distribution and generally stable populations, though they face local threats from habitat loss, road mortality, and pesticide use.
Physical Description
Small-bodied snake with grayish, brownish, or olive dorsal coloration, sometimes featuring faint lighter stripes down the back. The most striking visible feature is the bright red or orange underside (ventral side). It has a small head distinct from the neck, small dark spots on the back of the neck, and keeled scales.
Size & Dimensions
The specimen shown appears to be an adult or subadult, approximately 20 to 25 cm in length. Typical adult size ranges from 20 to 30 cm, with a maximum recorded length of around 40 cm.
Habitat
Found primarily in damp woodlands, forest edges, sphagnum bogs, meadows, and sometimes suburban areas. They prefer microhabitats with abundant cover such as logs, rocks, leaf litter, and bark, ranging from sea level up to moderate elevations.
Diet & Feeding
Specialized feeder focusing primarily on soft-bodied invertebrates such as slugs, earthworms, and sometimes snails, locating prey through active foraging and chemoreception.
Reproduction
Viviparous (giving birth to live young). Mating typically occurs in the spring, and females give birth to litters averaging 1 to 20 young in late summer or early autumn.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, as they have a wide distribution and generally stable populations, though they face local threats from habitat loss, road mortality, and pesticide use.
Cultural Significance
Acts as an important component of forest and garden ecosystems by helping control populations of invertebrate pests like slugs and earthworms.
Notable Features
Exhibits a distinct display when threatened, often curling its tail tightly or flipping it upside down to display the bright red ventral coloration as a warning signal to predators.