Storeria occipitomaculata, Redbelly snake, Red-bellied snake
Storeria occipitomaculata, commonly known as the redbelly snake or the red-bellied snake, is a species of snake endemic to North America (Canada and the United States).
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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PolygamyPolygamy is the practice of breeding with multiple partners. When a male breeds with more than one female at the same time – it is called polygyny....
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withS. occipitomaculata is a small woodland species that ranges from 4–10 in (10-25 cm) long. Their colors range from an orange to gray, black, or brown. They can be distinguished from other species from their bright red or orange underbelly.
S. occipitomaculata prefers warmer habitats and in the more Northern limits of its range will inhabit abandoned ant mounds. These mounds absorb solar radiation and are insulated which allows for a longer active season. This species, with large eyes and a kinetic skull, are not able to burrow on their own effectively and abandoned ant mounds allow them access to a warm area to retreat to. Individuals of this species can be found under logs and leafy debris due to their secretive nature.
Redbelly snakes have been studied to reproduce annually and females have been found to be gravid during the spring and early summer. While body size varies throughout the redbelly snake's region, the average clutch size tends to remain the same with an average of 7-9 eggs per clutch. Redbelly snakes begin mating at around two years of age and must be a minimum of 22 cm in order to reach sexual maturity.
