The Kirtland’s snake is a small Colubrid that can be found in wetland, forest, and grassland habitats
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it will reconsider Endangered Species Act protections for the Kirtland’s snake (Clonophis kirtlandii). It will make a decision on whether to list the reptile as endangered by June 30, 2026.
The USFWS refused to give the Kirtland’s snake (Clonophis kirtlandii) protections under the Endangered Species Act in 2017, so the Center for Biological Diversity, Hoosier Environmental Council and Prairie Rivers Network, represented by the University of Chicago’s Abrams Environmental Law Clinic, announced in July of 2022 its intent to sue the USFWS in an effort to protect the reptile.
The snake is listed as endangered at the state level in Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. It is listed as threatened in Illinois and Ohio. Its natural habitat of wetlands have been disrupted. It is not collected in any great numbers for the pet trade.
The Kirtland’s snake is a small Colubrid that can be found in wetland, forest, and grassland habitats. The snake is usually found near bodies of water and is grayish-brown with large black spots down the back and smaller spots running down each side. Their bellies are red and black. Clonophis kirtlandii eats earthworms and slugs as well as leeches, salamanders, minnows, and small frogs and toads. The species spends much of the year underground in crayfish and other burrows. It is listed as endangered in Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
