Milwaukee Public Museum

Corallus enydirs in the West Indies
by Robert Henderson

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article is reprinted from LORE magazine, a benefit of museum membership. ©1996 Milwaukee Public Museum, Inc.

Wisconsin offers a harsh climate for reptiles. Bitter cold and snow cover keep most "cold-blooded" creatures out of action for five months of the year. But each spring, with warming sunshine and the first green flush to the landscape, a colorful array of scaled survivors appear. The most abundant of these are the harmless snakes, with 18 species enduring our Wisconsin winters. Other than the turtles (11 species) they are the only reptiles the average Wisconsin resident encounters. Only 4 small, secretive and mostly uncommon lizards inhabit Wisconsin, and our 2 venomous rattlesnakes are rare and restricted to a very few areas of steep river bluffs and remote swamps mostly in southwest Wisconsin.

Harmless snakes are the most common reptiles in Wisconsin and some of the most colorful wildlife in the state, but few people are aware of them and much misinformation prevails even among outdoors enthusiasts. This is due in part to the secretive nature of most snakes, making them hard to observe in nature. But mostly this ignorance is due to a learned cultural bias against snakes, which often encourages an unreasonable fear of snakes and perpetuates erroneous beliefs such as the myth that snakes are slimy. (Actually, snakes have very dry skin, with no mucous glands whatsoever. Human skin is much slimier than snake skin.) Fortunately, this cultural bias seems to be lessening somewhat, at least in our area. Whether this is due to a more educated public or is simply the result of fewer people coming in contact with snakes, and consequently discussing them and passing on misinformation, is hard to say.

With about 2500 species worldwide, snakes are very successful and diverse animals. In Wisconsin they are among the most beautiful of native wildlife, perhaps rivaled only by birds and butterflies in their array of colors and patterns, which include vivid scarlet, indigo, gold, jet black, white, orange, green, and varying hues of brown and gray. Unlike mammals and birds, snakes are unable to produce heat internally via metabolism. They must rely on their environment for heat. Winter length, temperatures, and habitat availability are the major limiting factors for snake distribution in Wisconsin. All 18 species cope with the weather by hibernating, mostly underground. In spring they emerge and can often be seen basking in the sun or on sunwarmed rocks or pavement. Snakes are easy to identify, having no limbs, no external ear openings, unmovable eyelids, and elongated bodies. All snakes are predators, but vary considerably in diet, habitat, size and behavior.

The World to a Snake

A snake's perception of the world is quite different from ours. It is relatively easy for us to understand a mammal's world view, as most mammals utilize the same senses as we do, the chief difference being a matter of degree, such as a more sensitive sense of smell. Knowing this we are not surprised when, for example, a dog starts snuffling around a bush - we assume the dog smells something we cannot. This connection between an animal's behavior and its senses is more difficult for us if we are not familiar with the animal's senses. This is often the basis of our labeling animal behavior as weird or creepy: for example, the snake habit of sticking out its tongue. To mammals such as ourselves who convey much information through facial expressions, we expect this behavior to mean something - in humans sticking out the tongue is an insult! But in a snake it indicates nothing more than that the animal is smelling, and is akin to a dog sniffing.

Snakes perceive the world mainly through the senses of smell and touch, with sight being secondary in many species. The combined senses of smell and taste - chemoreception - are very highly developed. This is what all the tongue flicking is about. The tongue collects microscopic particles from the air and these are brushed against an organ in the roof of the mouth when the tongue is withdrawn. This is the Jacobson's organ, a little chemical factory that analyses the odors the tongue is picking up. This is the most important sense in snakes. They view the world in varying shades and gradients of odors. They use chemoreception to identify food, water, enemies, shelter, and potential mates. The snake's smelling ability has never been quantified to my knowledge, but I suspect it is at least several times as sensitive as a dog's.

The sense of touch is also well developed. Snakes are very sensitive to temperature changes, as well as to vibrations both in the substrate (the surface they are resting on) and to a lesser extent the vibrations of airborne soundwaves. This partially compensates for their lack of ears. Snakes cannot hear in the sense that we do, but are sensitive to the vibrations that low frequency sounds produce.

The eyesight of snakes is highly variable. Some species are blind or nearly so while others have very keen eyesight. Among Wisconsin snakes racers, garters, and water snakes probably have the best vision, with bullsnakes, rat, fox, milk and green snakes a close second. Burrowing species such as worm, red-bellied and ringneck snakes have poorer vision. But even the best vision in snakes is probably poor compared to ours. Snakes are generally nearsighted, and many appear to lack the ability to focus. The extent to which snakes can perceive color has never been clarified, but this too probably varies considerably between species. Snakes with good eyesight are very perceptive of movement, however, and instantly investigate any movement as potential food or danger.

Thus, many snakes perceive the world mainly through the senses of smell, taste and touch. This is in direct contrast to humans, who rely mainly on vision and hearing. One should keep this in mind when observing snakes, and their behavior will be more easily understood.

Snakes are very quiet animals, making noises only when threatened. They have no vocal chords but can produce loud hissing sounds by forcefully expelling air. The tail is often vibrated against dry leaves or wood, which produces a rattle-like buzz. Both these behaviors are merely harmless scare tactics designed to frighten an intruder away. If actually captured harmless snakes may resort to thrashing about wildly, musking and biting. Musking involves smearing a foul smelling fluid expelled from the anal glands onto the captor, who hopefully drops the snake in disgust. The musk is particularly strong in garter and water snakes. Most of the medium-to-large Wisconsin snakes will bite when freshly captured, but only the largest are able to inflict more than the most superficial pinpricks with their tiny teeth. Most snake teeth are very sharp, small and needlelike. They are angled backwards towards the rear of the mouth to prevent the escape of prey, whose struggle to pull out of the mouth merely imbed the teeth deeper. One should keep this in mind if bitten by a large snake. To minimize damage the snake should be allowed to let go on its own accord, and most will not hold on for more than a few seconds. Larger species such as bull, rat and water snakes can produce minor lacerations, especially if the bitten member is jerked out of the mouth. These would usually require no more first aid than an antiseptic and a bandage; infection is very rare. The wound should be examined for loose teeth, however, and these removed. Snakes are constantly shedding and replacing teeth which are often dislodged when biting.

Harmless snakes encountered in the wild will invariably flee in a flash, if not cornered. They have many natural enemies such as hawks, owls, crows, herons, thrushes and other birds. Large frogs, fish, dogs, cats, spiders, foxes, coyotes, skunks, centipedes, racoons, mink, badgers, turtles, bobcats and even other snakes all eat snakes. Large numbers of snakes are also killed by automobiles as they hunt, bask on sunwarmed pavement, or migrate to and from winter denning sites. The automobile is one of the major causes of mortality in snakes. Harmless snakes are often slaughtered by misinformed people as well. Snakes are important prey as well as predators in the natural ecosystem. Many are economically valuable in Wisconsin. They rely on cryptic coloration, secretive habits and bluffing to avoid predators. They should be recognized as harmless and enjoyable elements of Wisconsin's wildlife.

Reproduction in Wisconsin shakes is very seasonal. The long winters are spent in hibernation and most species congregate in September at winter hibernacula. Mating may take place either before or after hibernation. Snakes usually emerge from hibernation in late April and May. They bask in the sun on warm days and stay near the hibernacula for several weeks, reentering a torpid state during cold snaps. Mating usually takes place during this time, although some species mate in the summer or fall, immediately before descending underground for hibernation.

A few weeks after first emerging from their winter dens snakes disperse, sometimes several miles from the denning sites, to spend the summer eating and being eaten in their favored habitats. Snakes may lay eggs or bear live young. Eggs are laid in late May and June, usually in soil, rotting wood, or vegetation. The size and number of eggs varies with the species. Ringneck snakes may lay only four small eggs under the bark of a fallen log, while hognose snakes may lay 38 eggs in sand or humus. Other egg layers in Wisconsin are the black rat, worm, green, fox, bull and milk snakes and the racer. Once the eggs are laid no further attention is given them by the female. Incubation is from 30-70 days, depending on species and temperature. The young hatch from late June through September, and are fully functional at hatching. A yolk sac will nourish them for a few weeks. Late hatchers may hibernate forthwith, without feeding first, but most young must find food and begin growing and storing fat very soon after hatching if they are to survive the winter and escape myriad predators such as robins and shrews.

Live-bearing snakes give birth from July through September in Wisconsin. Anywhere from a low of 2 young in red-bellied snakes to 80 or 90 young in plains garter snakes are born. They are fully functional at birth and disperse from the birthplace within a day or two to seek food. Other live bearers in Wisconsin are the rest of the garters, ribbon, queen, water and brown snakes. Size at birth ranges from 3 to 4 inches in red-bellies to 9 inches in water and ribbon snakes. Typically, mortality of young snakes is very high. Probably at least as many die from an inability to find appropriately small food items and exposure to inclement weather as are taken by predators. Large numbers also die their first winter as a result of poor selection of hibernating sites.

The Ubiquitous Garter Snakes

Perhaps the most familiar of Wisconsin serpents are the garter snakes, sometimes called garden or grass snakes. These are the common black and yellow striped snakes so often seen darting through the grass in old fields, marsh edges and suburban lawns and gardens. They belong to the genus Thamnophis. Five species occur in the state, the most abundant of which are the plains garter snake, T. radix, and the eastern garter snake, T. sirtalis.

The eastern garter is Wisconsin's most numerous and most widely distributed snake, occurring in virtually every county, including the Apostle Islands, and occupying a wide variety of habitats. It prefers wetter habitats than the plains garter and often frequents marshes, lowland forest, riverbanks and wet meadows as well as urban gardens, city parks and vacant lots. The plains garter occurs throughout the southern third of Wisconsin, and prefers prairies, oak savanna and upland fields. Both species have a dark brown to blackish ground color with three yellow to yellow-orange stripes running the length of the body. The stripes afford the snake protection from predators. They create an optical illusion when the snake is moving rapidly forward, making it difficult to tell where the snake ends and resulting in the perception that the snake is closer than it actually is. The would-be captor frequently grabs the ground the snake has just traversed or barely catches the tip of the tail, as evidenced by the high incidence of stub tails in wild garter snakes.

The eastern and plains garters are fairly easy to separate. The lateral stripe occurs on scale rows 2 and 3 (counting from the belly up) in the eastern and on rows 3 and 4 in the plains. Additionally, the plains garter has bold black vertical barring on the pale upper lip, which is only faintly marked in the eastern.

Garters prey on a variety of animals. Earthworms and amphibians are their mainstay, with fish and baby rodents taken occasionally. Garter snakes are one of the few animals that will eat toads, whose poisonous skin glands deter most other predators. Eastern and plains garters have not been adversely affected by habitat loss, as they adapt well to human modified environments. Undoubtedly the abundance of these snakes is due in large part of the enormous number of young produced - up to 73 in the eastern and 92 in the plains! Adults of both species reach about 2.5 feet long.

The 3 other species of Thamnophis in Wisconsin are of limited distribution. The Butler's garter snake, T. butleri, occurs in southeast Wisconsin from Washington and Milwaukee counties south. An isolated colony also occurs at Stevens Point. It is slightly smaller than the plains garter and in the neck region the lateral stripe involves scale rows 2, 3 and 4. The head is small and the upper lip usually lacks the black vertical barring of the plaines garter. The distribution and identification of this species in Wisconsin is problematical at present, as many specimens examined by the author show characteristics of both plains and Butler's garters.

Butler's garter snakes may be found in wetter areas than the plains garter, such as marshes, and feed mainly on earthworms, with leeches, fish and amphibians also taken. Since they inhabit the most heavily populated and industrial area in Wisconsin, habitat loss may be a significant threat to their continued occurrence in the state.

The two remaining Thamnophis are the ribbon snakes. There are a very few records for the western ribbon snake, T. proximus, from southern Wisconsin, while the northern ribbon snake, T. sauritus, is found in isolated localities in four eastern and south central counties. Both of these rare snakes are protected as endangered species in Wisconsin. They resemble long tailed, slender eastern garter snakes. The tail can be a third of the entire length. The belly and lips are immaculate white, with none of the dark marks found on other garters. Ribbon snakes are semiaquatic and seldom wander far from streams, bogs, marshes or lakes.

The Rat Patrol

There are 5 harmless snakes in Wisconsin that are economically valuable as predators upon injurious rodents. These include the largest species in the state - the bullsnake, Pituophis melanoleucus. Reaching a maximum length of over 7 feet, this handsome constrictor frequents agricultural areas in southwest Wisconsin where it feeds primarily on rats, mice, pocket gophers and thirteen-lined ground squirrels. Bullsnakes prefer drier habitats with sandy soils and glacial moraines seem ideal. Because of their large size and rodent diet bullsnakes are of considerable value to farmers. Vogt (Natural History of Amphibians and Reptiles of Wisconsin, 1981) estimates that a single bullsnake consumes $400.00 worth of rats each summer.

Bullsnakes have a yellowish ground color with reddish-brown to black dorsal blotches. The tail is banded with black or brown and the belly is a checkerboard of black and yellow. The nose is pointed with a thickened scale at the tip, an adaptation for burrowing, which the bullsnake does in active pursuit of pocket gophers and ground squirrels. It is a powerful snake that kills its prey by constriction - suffocating them in its coils. When cornered the bullsnake will hiss loudly and rapidly vibrate the tip of the tail, which may buzz like a rattlesnake. This, along with its large size and formidable appearance, often leads to its death at the hands of misinformed persons, much to the chagrin of farmers who recognize its value.

Another large, handsome constructor is the fox snake, Elapha vulpina. It is not quite so large as the bullsnake, reaching nearly 5 feet, but has a wider distribution, occurring throughout Wisconsin but being uncommon in the southeastern corner of the state. It is abundant at many localities. In color and pattern it is similar to the bullsnake except for the head, which has none of the heavy black mottling and barring as on the lips of bullsnakes. The head is reddish-brown of varying intensity, and sometimes leads to its being mistaken for a venomous copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix, which does not occur in Wisconsin.

Fox snakes frequent forest edges, small streams and woodlots, wetter habitats than bullsnakes. They have been found hibernating underwater in abandoned wells. Fox snakes are slow moving, beneficial rodent eaters. They become very docile pets after a few weeks in captivity. From an economic standpoint, fox snakes are probably at least as valuable as bullsnakes. These two serpents are important and valuable predators in Wisconsin.

The milk snake, Lampropeltis triangulum, is the third Wisconsin constrictor. Smaller than the previous two species, milk snakes reach 3.5 feet in length and are locally common in the southern two-thirds of Wisconsin. They are spotted with three rows of reddish or grayish-brown blotches on a light gray ground color. The belly is irregularly checkered with black rectangles. Unlike fox and bullsnakes, the scale covering the anal opening is divided. Young milk snakes are more brightly marked, the blotches often bright red. Milk snakes live in moist forest edge areas, woodlots, prairies and pastures adjacent to marshes and streams. They are often found in association with humans, frequenting buildings and rubbish heaps where they hunt for the rodents which are the mainstay of their diet. They will occasionally eat snakes, lizards, birds and eggs. Farmers benefit from the presence of this snake. The name "milk snake" derives from an old folk tale about a snake supposedly suckling milk from cows. They have been proven incapable of doing so, however, even should a cow tolerate their teeth on its teats! Rather, they frequent barnyards in pursuit of mice, rats and sparrows. Young milk snakes appear to feed almost exclusively on other snakes, their diet changing to mammals as they grow.

A fourth large Wisconsin constrictor is the black rat snake, Elaphe obsoleta. Though common in the central and eastern states, black rats are rare in Wisconsin, which represents the extreme northwestern limit of their range. They are found only along the bluffs of the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers as far north as LaCrosse and the Baraboo Range. This is a woodland species and an excellent climber, feeding mainly on rodents, birds and eggs. Black rat snakes are a muddy grayish-black with darker blotches. These dark blotches are much more evident in young snakes, which have a light gray ground color. In older adults the ground color usually darkens sufficiently to obscure the blotching. The skin between the scales may be red. The chin, throat and lips are white and distinguish this snake from the blue racer, which it superficially resembles. Black rats have been known to reach over 8 feet in length in the sough, but 5 feet is more typical of Wisconsin specimens. Though rare in the state, black rats are important economically to farmers where they occur. They frequent barnyards in search of rats, mice and sparrows. They also forage in woods, even among the treetops.

Another large and beneficial Wisconsin serpent is the blue racer, Coluber constrictor. It occurs only in southwest Wisconsin, where it frequents prairies, old fields and open areas. Racers are abundant in sandy areas and along bluffs of the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers. The adult is a solid dark blue, light blue to bluish gray or brown above and white below. The chin is yellow. Young racers are blotched. Reaching 4.5 feet in length, the racer is a very active serpent foraging during the day. They are among the fastest of North American snakes. If cornered they behave like bull and fox snakes, coiling, striking and vibrating the tail.

Racers prey upon lizards, snakes, amphibians, rodents, grasshoppers and other insects. These are sort of "half constricted," being pressed against the ground or a rock rather than wrapped in a coil. Smaller prey items are simply swallowed alive in the manner of garter snakes. Racers seem to locate their prey mainly by use of their keen eyesight, in contrast to most other snakes which rely on their sense of smell.

Tiny Gems

In contrast to the conspicuously large and impressive constricting snakes, Wisconsin is also host to four small, secretive serpents which spend most of their time underground, inside rotting logs or in leaf litter where they are rarely encountered even though they may become common. All feed mainly on invertebrates such as slugs, earthworms, snails, sowbugs, and beetle larvae and occasionally on small amphibians and snakes. Perhaps the most tantalizing of these serpents is the reclusive northern ringneck snake, Diadophis punctatus edwardsi.

The small, nocturnal norther ringneck snake inhabits moist, cool woodlands, often with a mossy carpet to the forest floor, a habitat few other snakes occupy. It is found throughout all but the southwestern portion of the state. It spends its days underneath fallen trees, rocks, bark and moss, coming above ground at night. Only if you disturb their hiding places are you likely to encounter a ringneck. They are a beautiful animal, glossy slate-gray to steel-blue above with a clear yellow to orange-yellow belly. The yellow of the belly extends upwards at the neck to encircle it in a ring. When exhumed and exposed the ringneck will turn partially up-side down, exposing the bright yellow underparts. This sudden burst of color may startle a predator, giving the serpent a few seconds to dart away and escape. The ringneck snake will not bite if handled. It reaches only about 15 inches in length and lays only 1-7 eggs (usually 3-4) in rotting logs. Finding this forest jewel in a bed of moist, fragrant moss is a pleasant highlight to any woodland hike.

In southwestern Wisconsin another form of the ringneck snake occurs, D. p. arnyi - the prairie ringneck. It is similar to its northern counterpart except that the belly is redder, especially under the tail where it can be flame orange, and spotted with black. When threatened, the prairie ringneck will coil the tail like a corkscrew and hold it aloft, its bright orange color flashing, while it hides its head beneath its coils. This may startle a predator, as well as assure they any attacks on the snake are directed at the tail rather than the more vulnerable head. Dry prairie hillsides are the haunt of this serpent, where they reside under logs, stones, bark and underground.

Another brightly colored and diminutive serpent is the northern red-bellied snake, Storeria o. occipitomaculata. It resembles the ringneck snake and displays a reddish-brown to steel-gray body with a bright red or vermillion belly. There is often a single light stripe down the back and 2 light spots at the base of the skull. These docile forest dwellers live in boreal regions, sphagnum bogs and hardwood forests throughout Wisconsin; 8-10 inches is the usual adult length. They are very secretive living among fallen logs and litter on the forest floor. They can also be found under boards and tarpaper along woodland roads. When threatened they often display the vermillion belly to startle the intruder. They almost never attempt to bite. They may migrate by the hundreds to their winter hibernacula where they have been found denning with garter, green and brown snakes in ant mounds.

The brown snake, Storeria dekayi, is a third small secretive Wisconsin serpent. It is found in wet prairies, old fields and oak savannas throughout the southern 3/4 of the state. They are drab compared to the red-bellied and ringnecks, having plain whitish or pinkish bellies. Above they are gray or light brown with a light stripe down the back. This stripe is bordered by two rows of dark spots. A dark vertical bar behind the eye separates brown snakes from red-bellies. They grow 9-13 inches in length.

Brown snakes are often seen crossing roads as they migrate to or from their winter dens in May and October. They live in surface litter and under rubbish, stones and logs. Milk snakes, brown thrashers, cats, shrews, weasels and many other animals eat these small defenseless serpents.

A final diminutive burrowing snake in Wisconsin is the western worm snake, Carphophis amoenis vermis. Only two specimens are known from Wisconsin in southwest Grant county. They are burrowing snakes with gray-black dorsal coloration and bright pink bellies. They feed mainly on earthworms, which they find by burrowing through loose damp soil under logs and stones on wooded hillsides and in stream valleys. Very little is known about worm snakes in Wisconsin because of their rarity. They are much more abundant in the south central prairie states.

A Clown and a Grass Snake

Two of Wisconsin's harmless serpents cannot be easily grouped with any others. One of these is the comic eastern hognose snake, Heterodon platyrhinos. The hognose is a medium sized (up to 33 inches) stocky snake at home in sandy soils throughout all but the forested north central region of Wisconsin. They are especially abundant in the state's central "sand counties." They have 20-30 dark brown blotches on a gray, buff or brown ground color. A row of smaller blotches run down the sides. A pair of dark, black spots on the neck resemble large eyes when the neck is flattened. Occasionally specimens are uniformly olive, brown or black with the spots lacking or barely visible. Their nose is shaped like a miniature shovel, actually a modified scale, which is used for burrowing, especially in pursuit of their favorite food - toads. Hognose snakes are one of the few major predators of adult toads, whose poisonous skin secretions normally protect them. Hognose snakes are especially adapted for preying on toads. In addition to the burrowing specialization and poison immunity, they have enlarged teeth at the back of the jaw, with which to puncture and deflate the toads for easy swallowing.

Hognose snakes react uniquely to any threat with a series of displays designed to bluff their tormentor. First the hognose will coil and hiss impressively, flattening its neck like a cobra and lunging toward the observer in mock strikes. These fake biting attempts, however, are made with the mouth closed. If this ferocious display does not deter the intruder, and the hognose is physically attacked, it begins Act II. Here the hognose writhes in seeming agony, with the mouth agape and tongue protruding limply. Blood may even seep from around the teeth. Finally, the hognose flips over on its back, mouth still agape, defecates amidst a few violent spasms and lies limp, seemingly dead. It may even gulp air to appear bloated. At this point the attacker, often a person with a stick, frequently believes he has killed this apparently venomous monster and departs triumphantly. The only flaw in this act is that once the snake has decided to play dead, it insists on laying on its back, and if righted will instantly turn over again, ruining the credibility of its performance!

Wisconsin is also home to the smooth green snake, Opheodrys vernalis, sometimes called the "grass snake." It is easily recognized as the only green snake in the state, a bright emerald green above and pearly white below. Occasional specimens are tan instead of green. It is a small, slender snake reaching 20 inches in length and occurring throughout the state. Green snakes prefer grassy areas in old fields, prairies and forest edges. They feed on small, soft-bodied invertebrates such as slugs, crickets and caterpillars. Because of their insectivorous diet they are especially sensitive to insecticides, and dead green snakes have been noted in recently sprayed areas. Green snakes are also frequent victims of lawn mowers. They are very docile animals but do poorly in captivity.

Water Snakes

The last two harmless snakes in our state both frequent bodies of water. The queen snake, Regina septemvittata, is found only in clear, spring-fed streams with rocky bottoms and medium to strong currents. The northern water snake, Nerodia s. sipedon, occurs in large rivers, ponds potholes, bogs, marshes, and creeks. Queen snakes feed almost exclusively on crayfish, occasionally taking amphibians, fish, snails and shrimp. Northern water snakes feed primarily on amphibians and fish. Studies in Michigan have shown that water snakes do not adversely affect game fish populations, feeding primarily on nongame rough fish and minnows.

Northern water snakes are heavy-bodied serpents reaching 42 inches in length. Their coloration is highly variable. The upper parts are gray or brown banded with 30+ brownish-red or black blotches. These blotches fade with age. The belly is white with bright red crescent markings and gray speckling. The colors and patterns appear brighter when the snake is wet. They are found throughout Wisconsin, but are most common in the southern half of the state. Water snakes often bask on rocks or logs but instantly slip into the water at the first sign of danger. If cornered and captured they will bite fiercely and expel large quantities of foul smelling musk. Despite the fact that there are no venomous water snakes in Wisconsin and never have been, large numbers are slaughtered annually by misinformed persons believing them to be venomous "water moccasins."

The queen snake is an endangered species in Wisconsin. They are found only in a few localities in the extreme southeastern counties. They are a medium sized water snake reaching about 2 feet in length. They are brown to dark gray in color, with a single light cream colored stripe down each side of the body. This stripe extends forward to include the cream colored upper lip. The belly is light with four bold brown stripes, the inner two smaller. The stripes fade in older adults. Queen snakes are limited in their distribution by the very specific habitat they require: cold spring-fed streams with lots of flat rocks and crayfish. They are more docile than the northern water snake. Any sightings of this endangered species should be reported to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Wisconsin's 18 harmless snakes are a colorful, beneficial and interesting group. They play a vital role in natural ecosystems, serving both as predators and prey. There is much enjoyment to be had in finding and observing snakes. They are a component of our wildlife that is often overlooked, yet can be very rewarding to the outdoors enthusiast who takes the time to uncover the flashing brilliance of a ringneck snake under a fallen log, or watch the comic antics of the clownish hognose shake in distress. Even urban dwellers have the opportunity to discover a dashing black and yellow garter snake investigating their gardens, or emerald green snake hunting crickets across the lawn.