Records of the Red-bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata) in central and northeastern Nebraska

Authors

Taylor Lowe, University of Nebraska at Kearney
Sarah M. Bailey, Prairie Plains Resource Institute, Aurora, Nebraska
Dan D. Fogell, Southeast Community College, Lincoln, Nebraska
Keith Geluso, University of Nebraska at KearneyFollow

Date of this Version

7-17-2024

Document Type

Article

Citation

2024 Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences 44, 1–6

Comments

Copyright 2024 Taylor C. Lowe, Sarah M. Bailey, Daniel D. Fogell, and Keith Geluso

Abstract

Red-bellied Snakes (Storeria occipitomaculata) are a distinctive, small species that live in moist woodlands throughout much of eastern North America. In the Great Plains, isolated populations exist in South Dakota, Wyoming, and Nebraska. In Nebraska, the only known extant population occurs in wooded riparian habitats along the Big Bend Reach of the Platte River in southcentral parts of the state. Herein, we report on new county records of Red-bellied Snakes in Nebraska, with two observations from Merrick County along the Platte River adjacent to known populations and two observations of a new population in the extreme northeastern part of the state in Dixon County. The Dixon County population likely is contiguous with populations from southeastern South Dakota and northwestern Iowa. It is unknown whether populations in Nebraska are connected currently. Our county records provide notable data on the distribution and habitat of the Red-bellied Snake in the state and suggest we likely do not understand the full extent of the distribution for this secretive species in Nebraska.