Group 2

A Slippery Slope Towards Extinction:

The Copperbelly Water Snake

Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta

Connor Cody

BIO 227-01

Description and Ecology:

The Copperbelly Water Snake or Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta is found in the United States, specifically in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio, as well as in Illinois and Kentucky. The Copperbelly is a midwestern sub-species of the Plainbelly water snake that ranges throughout the central and southeastern United States. This water snake can grow up to lengths of 40 to 50 inches, but on average they range from two to four feet long. The female Copperbelly grows much larger than the male, so it is common to assume that a Copperbelly longer than 30 inches is a female. Adult Copperbelly snakes are dark brown to black on their dorsal surface (top or back), while their underside is a bright orange-red or sometimes even a yellowish color that extends all the way to their chin, thus giving them the name Copperbelly. The Copperbelly is a non-venomous snake species that actually hibernates during the winter. They tend to hibernate in crayfish burrows or forested wetlands from late October until late April, then emerge as the weather warms to prey and mate in the warmer waters. The main food source of the Copperbelly snake is small amphibians, such as frogs and tadpoles, which they hunt in shallow waters. In the spring (after hibernation), the Copperbelly snakes begin courtship and eventually find a mate. After mating, the young snakes are either born in the fall or during the winter, usually in a litter of on average 18 baby snakes. These young snakes have to learn to hunt for their food in the following months so that they can be ready for the following winter’s hibernation.

Geographic and Population Changes:

The Copperbelly’s habitat is a range of shallow wetlands surrounded by forested uplands, distributed throughout a large area. Copperbelly snakes can be found in two main areas, dividing them into two populations, the northern population and the southern population. The northern population is found in southern Michigan, northeastern Indiana, and northwestern Ohio. The southern population is found in southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and northwestern Kentucky. Although there are two populations of Copperbelly snakes, only the northern population is listed as “threatened,” and thus protected by the Endangered Species Act, due to its declining number of overall snakes as indicated in surveys over the past 20 years. “Threatened” means likely to become endangered in the near future, whereas “endangered” means in danger of becoming extinct. Currently only five small sub-populations exist in the northern region. The decline of the northern population of Copperbelly snakes is mainly due to habitat destruction and fragmentation, caused by humans and human development.

Listing Date and Type of Listing:

As of February 28, 1996, the northern population of Copperbelly snakes has been listed as threatened and therefore protected by the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act makes it illegal to kill, collect, or harm the Copperbelly snake within the northern population area, or roughly above Indianapolis, Indiana.

Main Threats to Continued Existence:

The Copperbelly snake is considered threatened because only a few hundred snakes populate the northern region. Their population has declined over the past 20 years due to collection and predation, as well as habitat loss and fragmentation. Copperbelly water snakes are collected for the pet trade because of their large size, rarity, and unique color. However, the Endangered Species Act has
made the collection of Copperbelly snakes illegal without a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and these permits are only given when the collection is for the conservation of the species. Predation is another reason for the decline of the Copperbelly snake. Copperbelly snakes move from wetland to wetland as water levels rise and fall and prey numbers dwindle and rise. As the snakes move from location to location, they are vulnerable to predators such as skunks, raccoons, raptor birds, and snapping turtles, but the main cause of the Copperbelly snakes’ dwindling numbers is due to humans. Human development of roads, housing, flood control, and agriculture causes fragmentation of the large area that the Copperbelly snakes require to survive. The Copperbelly snakes require a large area of land that consists of wetlands and uplands. When human development infringes on this habitat, it fragments or breaks up the necessary wetlands and uplands, and the fragmented habitat can no longer support the water snake population.

Recovery Plan:

Under the Endangered Species Act, a Copperbelly Water Snake Recovery Plan has been developed and implemented in order to help the northern population avoid extinction. This plan calls for local communities and private landowners to cooperate with the volunteers and researchers in the protection and improvement of the wetlands and uplands in which the Copperbelly snakes dwell. Funding by conservation organizations, as well as federal and state funding, has been used to fuel wetland restoration and upkeep. This funding goes towards tree planting, land protection in key areas, research, and general wetland upkeep, as well as wetland and upland improvement and protection. All of these actions together will help to improve the Copperbelly’s dwindling habitat, as well as reduce the rapid habitat fragmentation. This protection of wetland areas also protects the frogs and tadpoles in this region, thus sustaining a vital food source for the Copperbelly snakes.

What Can We Do to Help?

The main thing we can do to support the Copperbelly snake is to raise awareness regarding its threatened status. Many people who infringe upon Copperbelly habitats are not aware of the impact of their actions. These people are farming, building roadways and homes, and are developing upon Copperbelly habitat lands, effectively destroying the Copperbelly’s ability to thrive. Because Copperbellies need a large area of land that consists of both wetlands and uplands, they are extremely vulnerable to habitat fragmentation caused by human development. If local communities and private landowners are educated regarding the impact their actions have on the habitat of the Copperbelly snake, they can determine ways to reduce the destruction of the snakes’ habitat. These small efforts, along with funding dedicated to the research and continuation of the Copperbelly Snake Recovery Plan, will lead to increasing numbers of Copperbellies in the northern region, enabling the northern Copperbelly to be removed from the Endangered Species Act’s threatened list and to avoid extinction.