THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY

Reptilia    Squamata (part-snakes)    Natricidae  

Kirtland's Snake
Clonophis kirtlandii (Kennicott, 1856)
KLOH-noh-fiss — KIRT-lan-DEE-eye

SSAR 9th Edition Comments:
 There are no current SSAR comments for this taxon.

Range maps are based on curated specimens and provided gratis by CNAH.
(Created by Travis W. Taggart; Version: 2023.04.08.12.31.18)
Download GeoJSON polygon range file: - 0.71 MB

Province/State Distribution:
United States: Illinois Indiana Kentucky Michigan Missouri Ohio Pennsylvania

Taxonomic Etymology:
Named after a 19th-century naturalist and educator.
Clonophis — From Greek klonos (κλόνος), “turmoil” or “stirring,” and ophis (ὄφις), “snake.” The meaning is obscure, but it may refer to its twitchy, elusive nature.
kirtlandii — A patronym honoring Jared Potter Kirtland (1793–1877), an American naturalist, physician, and early herpetologist of Ohio.

First instance(s) of published English names:
Kirtland's Snake (Tropidoclonium kirtlandi: Jordan, David Starr. 1876. Manual of the Vertebrates of the Northern United States: Including the District East of the Mississippi River, and North of North Carolina and Tennessee, Exclusive of Marine Species. Jansen, McClurg, and Company, Chicago, Illinois.. 342pp.); Kirtland's Snake (Tropidoclonium kirtlandi: Jordan, David S. 1878. Manual of the Vertebrates of the Northern United States: Including the District East of the Mississippi River, and North of North Carolina and Tennessee, Exclusive of Marine Species. Second Edition, Revised, and Enlarged. Jansen, McClurg & Company, Chicago. pp.); Kirtland's Snake (Tropidoclonium kirtlandi: Yarrow, Henry C. 1882. Check list of North American Reptilia and Batrachia with catalogue of specimens in U. S. National Museum. Bulletin of the United States National Museum (24):1-249); Cora Kennicott's Snake (Tropidoclonium kirtlandi: Davis, N. S., and Frank L. Rice. 1883. List of Batrachia and Reptilia of Illinois. Bulletin of the Chicago Academy of Sciences 1(3):25–32); Kirtland's Snake (Natrix kirtlandi: Hay, Oliver P. 1892. Batrachians and Reptiles of the State of Indiana. Pages 409-624 in 17th Annual Report of the Indiana Department of Geology and Natural Resources, William B. Burford, Printer and Binder, Indianapolis, Indiana. pp.); Kirtland's Snake (Clonophis kirtlandii: Fowler, Henry W. 1907. The amphibians and reptiles of New Jersey. MacCrellish and Quigley, Trenton, N. J.. 29-250pp.); Kirtland's Water Snake (Natrix kirtlandii: Schmidt, Karl Peterson and D. D. Davis. 1941. Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada. C.P. Putnam and Sons, New York. 365pp.); Spread Head (Natrix kirtlandii: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Kirtland's Water Snake (Natrix kirtlandii: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Kirtland's Red Snake (Natrix kirtlandii: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Little Red Snake (Natrix kirtlandii: Wright, Albert Hazen. 1950. Common names of the snakes of the United States. Herpetologica 6(6):141-186); Kirtland's Water Snake (Natrix kirtlandi: Schmidt, Karl P. 1953. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. 6th Edition. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 280pp.);

Taxon Links:

  
Catalog of American Amphibians and Reptiles
  
The Reptile Database
  
NatureServe
  
iNaturalist
  
GenBank
  
USGS - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database

Selected References:
1856 Kennicott, Robert. Description of a new snake from Illinois. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 8:95-96
1967 Jones, J. Michael. . A western extension of the known range of Kirtland's watersnake. Herpetologica 23:66-67
1977 Tucker, John K. and Joseph T. Collins. Distributional notes on Kirtland's water snake, Clonophis kirtlandi (Kennicott). Herpetological Review 8(2):40-41
1985 Rossman, Douglas A. and Robert Powell. Clonophis, C. kirtlandii. Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles (364):1-2
1987 Brown, L. E. A newly discovered population of Kirtland's Snake with comments on habitat and rarity in central Illinois. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 22(1):32-33
1988 Wilsmann, L. A., and M. A. Sellers, Jr. Clonophis kirtlandii rangewide survey. Final Report. U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service Region 3, Office of Endangered Species, Twin Cities, Minnesota.. 43pp.
1992 Brandon, R. A., and M. Bavetz. Status of Kirtland's snake in Illinois. Final report. Division of Natural Heritage , Illinois Department of Conservation, Springfield, Illinois. pp.
1994 Bavetz, M. Geographic variation, status, and distribution of Kirtland's snake (Clonophis kirtlandii Kennicott) in Illinois. Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science 87(3-4):151-163

THE CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGY — Accessed: Friday 05 December 2025 16:58 CT