Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Found this little guy/gal this past weekend under a coverboard near my home. Not sure exactly what it is and a few of the sites I usually use for ID's aren't really helping.

I'm in the Northern part of South Carolina.

Thanks for the help.

Cory

That's a Northern Red-bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata). Their coloration can be EXTREMELY variable. Even very gray, red, brown, or copper-colored. Their striping can vary greatly as well, from being bold to barely discernable.

~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

my website -Serpentine Specialties

If I hadn't seen the last pic I would've said ringneck,the vertabral stripes gave it away! Jeff

Not only the stripe, but actually the picture of the ventral side was a give away as well. There were no black half moons.

~~Greg~~

Yep,and I've also seen some ringnecks that lacked the little half moons but had a single row of tiny spots down the middle of the belly. Jeff

So the dorsal striping and lack of black on the belly differentiates the Red-Bellied from the Ringneck?

Holy Moly these little guys are complicated. Either way, I was still excited to run across a species that I had never, personally, encountered in the wild.

Thanks for the info, guys. Super-helpful as always.

Cory