The Northern redbelly snake (Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata) is a nonvenomous snake

Snake

Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...

 in the Colubridae family, a subspecies of Storeria occipitomaculata

Storeria occipitomaculata

The redbelly snake is a species of snake found in North America. The following subspecies are known:*Florida redbelly snake - Storeria occipitomaculata obscura Trapido, 1944...

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Geographic range

It is found from Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

 to Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

, south to Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 and Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

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Description

Adult and young have known colorations of solid olive-brown, tan-brown, chestnut-brown, grey-brown, grey or even black. They have three yellow spots posterior to the head shields, to which the specific name occipitomaculata (meaning spotted back of the head) refers. The underside is coral-red to brick-red. Coloration is usually made up of three different shades forming a striped pattern. Like all species of the genus Storeria

Storeria

Storeria is a genus of colubrid snakes. The genus consists of four species, three of which are known as brown snakes, and the other is known as the redbelly snake. They are found primarily in the United States and Mexico but range as far north as southern Canada, and as far south as Central America...

, redbelly snakes have keeled scales and no loreal scale. Some specimens have been found with three black dots on the top of the head. Adults will grow to about 31 centimetres (12.2 in).

Reproduction

The Northern redbelly snakes give birth to live young. Newborns measure 7.6-11 cm (3-4¼ in.).

In captivity

They are known to live up to four years in captivity. Being nonvenomous, they can be safely handled.