Lined Snake
Tropidoclonion lineatum • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Tropidoclonion, Species: lineatum
Central United States including Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and isolated populations in New Mexico, Colorado, and South Dakota.
Look up Lined Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Venomous Status
Non-venomous (Aglyphous)
Danger Level
Harmless - poses no threat to humans or pets; exceptionally docile.
Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Tropidoclonion, Species: lineatum
Conservation
Least Concern (IUCN), though considered rare or a species of concern in some peripheral parts of its range like Illinois due to habitat loss.
Physical Description
Gray to olive-brown body with three distinct light-colored longitudinal stripes (one mid-dorsal, two on the 2nd and 3rd scale rows). Scales are keeled. The underside features a double row of black half-moon crescents.
Size & Dimensions
Specimen appears to be an adult around 8-12 inches. Typical range is 8 to 15 inches (20-38 cm).
Habitat
Prairies, grasslands, abandoned town lots, and parks. Frequently found in urban settings under debris, rocks, or logs in moist leaf litter.
Behavior & Temperament
Secretive, fossorial, and nocturnal/crepuscular. Primarily active during spring and fall rains. When handled, they rarely bite, instead releasing musk or flattening their bodies.
Diet & Feeding
Specialized feeder primarily consuming earthworms. They are active foragers that hunt in moist soil and leaf litter.
Reproduction
Viviparous (gives birth to live young) usually in late summer (August or September). Litter size typically ranges from 2 to 12 neonates.
Venom Profile
Non-venomous - no medically significant venom.
Look-alikes
Garter Snakes (Thamnophis ssp.) and Ribbon Snakes. Distinguishable by its smaller size, lack of vertical labial bars, and the unique double row of half-moons on the belly.
Conservation Status
Least Concern (IUCN), though considered rare or a species of concern in some peripheral parts of its range like Illinois due to habitat loss.
Cultural Significance
Ecologically beneficial as a consumer of garden pests (worms/slugs) and as a food source for larger predators; significant because it thrives in urban 'fragment' habitats.
Notable Features
Often called a 'miniature garter snake,' it is the only species within its genus. Its belly pattern is the most diagnostic feature for definitive identification.