Rebecca captured this little fellow yesterday. He was hardly bigger than an earthworm.
We were recently giving a snake presentation for National Trail Day and were talking about these tiny serpents. This is Storeria occipitomaculata, but if that name seems a tad difficult to pronounce, you can call him the Northern Redbelly. They might look innocent, but if you’re a small slug or a juicy larva, the Redbelly is one ferocious predator.
Having given hundreds of adults and children their first experiences meeting snakes, we’ve found it interesting that often people are more intimidated by small, quick snakes, rather than a six-foot boa. The Redbelly is one snake that most definitely cannot harm you in any way — this little guy’s most potent defense was to squiggle a lot. Luckily he held still long enough for a photo op.
Posted on June 12th, 2009 by Kenton Whitman
Filed under: Reptiles and Amphibians
He is pretty darn cute. Pretty, too, with that red stripe.
What a cutie! But on the subject of why people are more unnerved by the smaller snakes… despite my liking for them the first thing I thought on seeing this picture was “I bet that thing could get up your shirt sleeve/trouser leg like a rat up a drainpipe”. It wouldn’t want to of course so the feeling is nonsense, but still…
Thanks barefootheart! We really enjoyed meeting him =)
Hello Bird! That could be an unnerving thought! He was certainly squirmy enough — we had quite a bit of trouble catching him, holding on to him was quite a challenge, and getting him to stay still for a photo was more challenging yet. Thanks for visiting — we’re very excited to explore your site!
Ya, it’s cute and may be harmless, but to me it looks horrible.
Love this snake! What a beauty. I came across a family of Northern Water snakes a month ago and enjoyed watching and photographing them. I found your blog through Nature Blog Network and think it’s great.
Hello Cecilia!
Northern Water Snakes! We’ve been looking for one all summer. They are SO cool. Thanks for the great compliment on our site — we just buzzed over to yours, and love it! We’ll add you to our Awesome Nature Blogs blogroll today. Your household sounds amazing — much like Gerald Durell’s growing up (have you read any of his books? ‘My Family and Other Animals’ is superb). The poison dart frog looks amazing, and the baby mantis pics are great. Wish we could visit!