Although encountered only occasionally, Kirtland’s Snake ranges throughout the glaciated western half of Ohio and into a few glacial outwash-filled valleys in southwestern Ohio. Its secretive nature and marked preference for wet meadows make it difficult to find. It is most common in the vicinity of Lucas and Hamilton counties, wherever wet fields remain. Kirtland’s snakes can easily be identified by the bright red belly conspicuously marked with a row of black spots along each side. When first encountered, the little Kirtland’s snake usually flattens its body – making it appear larger – and strikes repeatedly. This is merely an act to frighten off intruders. Its strikes are ineffectual and, when handled, it makes no attempt to bite. Like the Kirtland’s warbler, the Kirtland’s snake was named for Doctor Jared P. Kirtland, an early physician and nationally renowned naturalist from Lakewood, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. LENGTH: 12”–15”
Text courtesy of the Ohio Division of Wildlife: https://wildlife.ohiodnr.gov/portals/wildlife/pdfs/publications/id%20guides/pub354_Reptiles-opt.pdf
