Northern Red-bellied Snake Photo Credit: Scott Gravette
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata
OTHER NAMES: Red-bellied snake DESCRIPTION: This species is a
small snake, typically less than 16 inches, with a blunt head.
The color of this snake is highly variable, its back could be
gray, brown and less commonly black and the head may be a
different color altogether. On the neck are typically three
spots, though they may fuse and appear as a collar. The
coloration of the belly is often in stark contrast with the rest
of the snake; as suggested by the species’ common name, the
belly is typically red but may also appear pink or orange.
Scales are keeled. DISTRIBUTION: The species ranges throughout
the eastern portion of North America, generally east of the
Dakotas in the north and Texas in the South. It’s likely they
occur in every county in Alabama. HABITAT: This snake can be
found hiding under leaf litter, logs, and other cover objects
within hardwood forests and around wetland edges. They