Tiny Snakes continued...

Northern Red-bellied Snake

Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata
Length: 8 to 10 inches

Northern red-bellied snakes are closely related to brown snakes. Their coloration varies. The back and sides can be gray or reddish-brown with a faint, tan stripe down the center. Their belly can be yellowish-orange, orange or red—even scarlet-red.

This species is found throughout Missouri, except in the northwestern corner of the state. Red-bellied snakes can be found in moist, open woods with plenty of hiding places, such as flat rocks, boards or logs. Their prey includes earthworms, slugs, land snails and soft-bodied insects. They bear up to 21 young during late summer.

Ground Snake

Sonora semiannulata
Length: 8 to 12 inches.

This snake is seldom seen in Missouri. It’s found in only a few counties in the southwestern corner of the state, where it spends most of the time underground or under flat rocks on dry, rocky, south-facing hillsides.

Some ground snakes may have a plain background color of tannishgray with no dark markings. Others may be orange to reddish-orange with numerous black or dark brown cross bands. Still others may be tan with one or two dark bands on the head and neck. Their belly is cream color with small, dark transverse bars
on the tail.

This species lays from four to six eggs that hatch in August. Ground snakes have several enlarged, grooved teeth at the back of their upper jaws that may allow them to inject venom into their prey. The prey of this species includes small scorpions, centipedes and spiders, including small black widow spiders. Ground snakes are not dangerous to people.

Western Worm Snake

Carphophis vermis
Length: 7 to 11 inches

Purplish-brown above and salmon pink below, western worm snakes live underground and under flat rocks. Like many of our small snakes, they have a cone-shaped head and smooth skin that help them burrow through soil. Worm snakes also have a unique, sharp (but harmless) tip on their tail that may help them maneuver through the ground.

Western worm snakes are found throughout Missouri, except in the southeastern corner of the state and a few counties in north-central Missouri.

This species lives on wooded hillsides that have abundant rocks for shelter. They eat earthworms and soft-bodied insects. They lay eggs that hatch in August.

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About This Article

Author and Photographer

author TOM R. JOHNSON retired as state herpetologist with the department of Conservation in 2000. He grew up in Wisconsin, earned his biology degree from the University of Wisconsin—Stevens Point in 1970, and came to the department after seven years in the zoo field. tom is the author of The Amphibians and Reptiles of Missouri. He now lives on a small farm in the Ozarks.

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