by Michael Redmer

esidents of the Chicago Region are fortunate that some rare biological "treasures" have managed to survive in the suburbs better than they have in the intensive agricultural desert outside the metropolitan area. Among the rarest animals in the Midwest is a small reptile called Kirtland’s snake (Clonophis kirtlandii).

Kirtland’s snake individuals usually are less than 18 inches long. They sport a reddish to purplish body covered with a black "checkerboard" pattern, and a salmon-red belly bordered by black spots. The head is mostly black with a white upper lip.

Kirtland’s snake is member of the widespread and successful group known as "natracine" snakes. Besides the Kirtland’s snake, this group includes garter snakes, water snakes, and the midland brown or "DeKay’s" snake. Most of these species spend a great deal of their time in or near moist or aquatic habitats, where they feed variously on fish, frogs, worms, or crayfish. Throughout its range, Kirtland’s snake has been spotted at a variety of moist terrestrial habitats where large populations of burrowing crayfishes occur. The Kirtland’s is highly fossorial (meaning it spends most of its time underground), and frequents the crayfish burrows year-round, making it among the most specialized of North American snakes. Indeed, Kirtland’s snakes are so rarely found above ground that even at known localities it is difficult to predictably and repeatedly find them.

In the Chicago region, there is little quantified information on their habitat, though most reports have been from moist prairies ranging from open to shrubby. Other local records include vacant lots, some of which have remnant populations of prairie plants. In these habitats, individuals usually are found under boards or other man-made debris. Like other local natracine snakes, Kirtland’s snake bears its young alive instead of laying eggs.

There are scattered records of Kirtland’s snake from several of the counties included in the Chicago Wilderness region, with a notable exception being southeast Wisconsin. Kirtland’s snake is a species of conservation concern throughout its entire range, and has been considered a candidate for listing as a federally threatened species by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Locally, this interesting little snake is now listed as threatened by the state of Illinois and endangered by the states of Indiana and Michigan. Several of the best-known Chicago-region localities are on private land threatened with development. Local efforts to conserve Kirtland’s snake will require additional information on the snake’s localities, as well as attempts to acquire and preserve those sites not already held by conservation organizations. If you are lucky enough to find one of these snakes, report it immediately to your county or state conservation agency so that their biologists can help you document the location.