The red-bellied snake or redbelly snake (Storeria occipitomaculata) is an non-venomous snake endemic to North America belonging to the Colubridae family. Its scope extends from southern Canada (Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia) extending into the eastern areas of the United States as far south as central Florida and west into northwest Texas and the Gulf Coast.
Additional US countries where these snakes are available to contain Maine, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Kansas and North Dakota. Among its 3 subspecies would be the inhabitants.
These snakes can also be known other ordinary names such as the red-bellied snake, red-bellied floor snake, spot-necked snake, worm snake, floor snake, yellowish snake, brown snake, and small brown snake, red-billed brown snake, red-bellied garter snake or flame snake.
They are sometimes discovered in many different habitats with abundant soil covers such as mountainous or hilly woodlands or forests, upland meadows and slopes, marshes, prairies, pastures, wetlands, along with swamp or bog advantages.
Normally located from the moistest regions of the habitat they’re also able to occupy drier areas like rocky mountains everywhere from sea level around 5600 feet (1,700 m) high.
Even the redbelly snake is extremely secretive generally taking shelter under stones, leaf litter, bark, logs, and mounds but additionally in garbage piles, abandoned homes, building bases or cover boards and occasionally seen on streets in the start.
Generally discovered hiding collectively or close other red-bellied snakes but also along with other snake species like the pig snake (genus Carphophis), rough earth snake (Virginia striatula) or even the brown snake (Storeria dekayi).
The red-bellied snake for a span ranging from 8 or 7 up to 16 inches, whereas females are far more than men have a slightly larger tail. Their color varies from olive-brown, brown, grey, chestnut-brown, tan-brown, red-brown or perhaps black.
The rear coloration has distinct colors that make a striped layout, occasionally only a broad light stripe is observable while on some people 4 skinnier darker stripes might be discovered across the length of the trunk.
Their name comes in their different and dull bright reddish underside, but sometimes some specimens might get an orange, yellow, pink, pink, red or on infrequent occasions a black or greenish stomach.
At the cap of the mind is generally darker than the remainder of the human body, being black in many specimens. The throat and chin areas are white. Their neck is different spots fuses to make a marking.
Juveniles have an identical look to mature snakes but are usually darker using a less vibrant underside coloration. This species has keeled scales but lacks some scales those situated between the uterus and the eyes.
Red-bellied snakes become prey for various other wild species like ground squirrels, raccoons, shrews, hawks, largemouth bass, however, are killed by domestic cows, cats, dogs, and puppies.
They’re also preyed upon by other bigger snake species such as the dark racers, milk lions or warrior snakes. Approximately 4 to five decades they live.
At winter red-bellied snakes participate at a mass migration to come across decent hibernation sites like abandoned burrows or anthills. They float in classes and even together along with snake species that are little.
These snakes are often active during the daytime in spring and fall in the throughout warm summer months that the redbelly snake becomes more nocturnal.
Their defensive behaviors when firming or feeling endangered contain a peculiar lip-curling exposing their dark mouth, stripping their entire body or releasing a musky secretion out of their cloaca. They wreak death such as snakes like the congeneric hognose although they sting but.
Red-Bellied Snake Subspecies
The species-specific title occipitomaculata meaning seen back of their mind, describes the 3 feature white or yellowish spots usually within their own neck. The genus name Storeria has been awarded in honour of this 18th-century zoologist in New England, David H. Storer.
There aren’t any subspecies now recognized as being legitimate by scientists. The subspecies are named.
Northern redbelly snake (Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata – Storer, 1839) – This subspecies has the broadest range stretching from southern Canada southward to the east areas of the United States as far south as scenic Texas and the Gulf Coast.
Florida redbelly snake (Storeria occipitomaculata obscura – Trapido, 1944) – because their title suggests this subspecies is among the several snakes located in Florida, it is located in central and northern Florida but has been absent in southern areas of peninsular Florida. In this subspecies their neck stains that are feature fuse forming a crate.
Black Hills redbelly snake (Storeria occipitomaculata pahasapae – H.M. Smith, 1963) – This subspecies is made up of an isolated people located at the Black Hills in western South Dakota and extending to Wyoming.
Red-Bellied Snake Diet
The red-bellied snake diet is made up chiefly of slugs however they also feed on snails, beetle larvae, earthworms, other insects, and sometimes even tiny frogs or smallish salamanders.
The species contains some distinctive adaptations to its jaws and teeth, which lets them eliminate snails in their shell rather readily. Located in gardens they are helpful in controlling plants destroying animals’ quantities.
Red-Bellied Snake Reproduction
The breeding season occurs from the spring only after hibernation and also the autumn along with guys giving birth to live young, unlike many snakes that lay eggs. The sperm can be stored by females for many months before the spring arrives, delaying fertilization during the winter.
They give birth during the summer shape July or August to early September. The litter size varies but generally ranges between 9 and 4 younglings, but maybe as large as 23 snakes.
When born the infants are coated by a somewhat thin membrane that they break very fast. Juveniles are coated in uniform color with 3 creams and therefore so are between 1 and 11 cm long. The species reaches sexual maturity.
Red-Bellied Snake Conservation
Red-bellied snakes have been classified as a Least Concern species in the IUCN Red List, because of their broad distribution with various sub populations as well as their assumed big and stable population figures.
The species also occurs in several protected areas having no significant threats proven to influence them considerably. The snake is also conducive to habitat alterations that are small.
