Water Snakes: Nerodia
Appearance:
The head of water snakes is narrow and pointed, in contrast to the broad, triangular head of Burmese pythons.
Concho Water Snake (Nerodia paucimaculata)
U.S. Status Threatened, Listed 9/03/1986 Description The Concho water snake is a small snake that grows up to 3 feet in length. It has large dark reddish brown bands covering its body.
Banded Water Snake
Relatives in same Genus
Mangrove Salt Marsh Snake (N. clarkii compressicauda)
Atlantic Salt Marsh Snake (N. clarkii taeniata)
Redbelly Water Snake (N. erythrogaster erythrogaster.)
Florida Banded Water Snake (N.
Banded Water Snake
The Banded Water Snake as well as the common water snake are inexpensive and extremely hardy snakes.
Forest Water Snake
Sighting:
Ranomafana National Park, Fianarantsoa province, Madagascar ...
Midland Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon pleuralis)
Description
Habitats
Habits and Life History
Prey and Hunting Techniques ...
Green Water Snake
Reptile. The Florida green water snake is a common, harmless snake that can be found in weedy marshes and grasses around ponds and along canals, sometimes basking in the vegetation.
Green Water Snake (Nerodia cyclopion)
No photo of the Green Water Snake available.
Northern Water Snake
Nerodia sipedon
by
Status No status assigned in Minnesota Description Northern water snakes are one of the larger medium-sized Minnesota snakes. They range in length from 24 to 55 inches and may be quite heavy bodied as adults.
Northern Water Snake
The Northern Water Snake is a medium sized snake, between 30 to 40 inches in length. They are generally tan or brown in color with broad black bands along the sides and the back.
Northern water snakes are one of the most common large snakes in Connecticut. They are often confused
with other species such as the venomous water moccasin or copperhead.
Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon)
Description: A water snake with dark bands or blotches on a light brown or gray background color. Some old adults may appear solid black or brown.
Red-belly Water Snake (Nerodia erythrogaster)
One of four species of water snake in NC, Red-belly occurs only in the Coastal Plain. Adults are plain brown above, but juveniles are banded, similar to the Northern Water Snake.
Wild caught water snakes should be handled with caution. Not only can they be agressive, but they have very powerful musk glands near the cloaca that can make a a herper with even the best control gag.
The Northern Water Snake is a stout-bodied snake with highly variable coloration. Its basic color is reddish-brown, brown, gray or black. Usually there are dark cross bands on the neck just behind the head.
The Diamondback Water Snake is from the order Squamata. Species from this order are amphisbaenians, lizards or snakes. There are over 6,000 living species belonging to the squamata order - it is the largest order of all reptiles.
The underside of the northern water snake is distinctive. It is white with bright red half-moons mixed with dark gray specking. Many people, when seeing this snake, think they've seen a venomous (poisonous) water moccasin.
Has a quick temper and readily bites but is not poisonous. Feeds mainly on small fish and frogs. Bears live young. Only large water snake of the Pine Barrens. Often seen sunning itself along edges of ponds or streams. Common in the Pine Barrens.
water snakes (Nerodia). In addition, a nontriangular head does not signify the absence of venom: the two species of coral snakes in the United States, both venomous, have slender heads with little distinction between head and neck.
Water Snake found on New Creek in Mineral County
(Photo by me)
Samson, my Boa Constrictor, getting a little exercise.
Blotched Water Snakes are also very closely related to the Yellowbelly Water Snake, Nerodia erythrogaster flavigaster, which can also be found in our area.
Redbelly Water Snake
Nerodia erythrogaster
Eastern Ribbon Snake
Thamnophis sauritus ...
Northern water snakes are particularly fond of basking, and can often be seen sunning upon emerged logs, stumps, and rocks, or on low branches-overhanging the water. They are very wary and, when disturbed, drop into the water and disappear quickly.
Graham's Water Snake
This prairie marsh species is now extremely rare in northeastern Illinois.
Regina leberis ...
Northern Water Snake
Nerodia sipedon (24-42", up to 55")
This thick-bodied snake is quite variable in color and pattern. Background color ranges from light gray to dark brown.
Northern Water Snake - Nerodia sipedon sipedon
Description: 24 - 44" (61 - 110 cm). Reddish brown to grayish brown. Keeled dorsal scales. Heavily patterned with darker band patterns from neck to anus.
Ringed snake,
Water snake
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Overharvesting of water snakes and fish in the Mekong Delta is also likely to be having a detrimental effect on some of the hairy-nosed otter's key food resources, and this represents a significant threat to this otter, ...
brown water snake (Nerodia taxispilota)
canebrake rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)
chicken turtle (Deirochelys reticularia)
Coastal Plain cooter (Chrysemys floridana floridana)
common rainbow snake (Farancia erytrogramma erytrogramma) ...
A frog was finishing up its doctoral dissertation and had just stepped out from under its mud bank to get a breath of fresh air when it was surprised by a water snake. "Any last requests before I eat you?" said the snake.
Helicops angulatus (Brown-banded Water Snake)
Hemidactylus turcicus (Mediterranean House Gecko)
Homalopsis buccata (Puff-faced Water Snake)
Imantodes cenchoa (Mapepire Corde Violon)
Laticauda laticaudata (Blue-lipped sea krait) ...
Several non-venomous water snakes are often mistaken for the cottonmouth. In the water, the cottonmouth floats very high, with most of its body visible above the water line.
Water snakes of the genus Nerodia are found only in the states east of Texas.
The largest snakes of the natracinae taxon of water snakes are the natrix genera. Sea snakes are a completely different group of snakes. As a general rule, water snakes are freshwater snakes though some sea snakes inhabit large lakes.
Less aquatic as a group than the related water snakes, they are found near water in dry country and are widely distributed in moist regions. They prey on cold-blooded animals, chiefly frogs, toads, small fish, and earthworms.
All are fish-eaters, dining on small eels, fish, and even water snakes. They dive from the surface, though many species make a characteristic half-jump as they dive, presumably to give themselves a more streamlined entry into the water.
The banded water snake is often mis-identified as a copperhead because of similar coloration. If you find a snake in your yard the best way to identify it is to use one of the many identification/field guides that can be found at your local library.
Though the cottonmouth occurs throughout Florida, it is not as abundant as the many species of harmless water snakes that occur in much the same habitats. Many Florida residents do not even realize that other water snakes exist.
True to its common name, the northern water snake inhabits a variety of aquatic habitats including lakes, ponds, and rivers. Water snakes of the genus Nerodia are generally stout, short-bodied and larger than their cousins of the genus Regina.
In breeding ponds, adults fall prey northern water snakes (Nerodia s. sipedon), snapping turtles (Chelydra s. serpentina), herons, mink, and raccoons (Knox 1999).
They swim sinuously, like water snakes. Many species have a "respiratory siphon," which they use to breathe at the water's surface. Larvae feed on "detritus, algae, bacteria, and fungi," according to the Cornell Cooperative Extension Internet site.
Look For: A brown water snake with a yellow stripe on each side and 4 brown stripes on yellow belly.
Length: 15-36".
Habitat: Shallow rocky streams with crayfish.
Genus Hydrodynastes (false water snakes)
Genus Hydromorphus (tropical water snakes)
Genus Hydrops (Amazon water snakes) ...
Roe, J.H., B.A. Kingsbury, and N.R. Herbert. 2004. Comparative water snake ecology: conservation of mobile animals that use temporally dynamic resources. Biological Conservation 118:79-89.
Timber Rattlesnake
Juvenile Rat Snakes, Northern Water Snake, Hognose Snakes
Coloration/Pattern Photos:
Adults ...
North American Racer (Blue racer) *RSG
Northern water snake
Plains garter snake
Plains hog-nosed snake *RSG
Ratsnake *RSG
Redbelly snake
Ringneck snake
Smooth green snake (Grass snake)
Western Fox snake ...
Many harmless snakes, such as the brown snake (genus Storeria), or water snake (genus Nerodia) are frequently mistaken for copperheads.
Muskrats are the victims of many predators. Marsh hawks, large owls, raccoons, foxes, minks, water snakes, and large turtles are known to plague them.
Fish such as bass and carp would swallow them by the bucketful if they could, and so would water snakes. Baby alligators and crocodiles eat them before they grow big enough to attack full-grown frogs. Young snapping turtles also snap them up.
This species is mainly terrestrial, but tends to hang out around the margins of streams, marshes, and swamps. This is probably because they tend to feed on water snakes and turtle eggs.
Depending on when you visit, you might see dozens of birds, hundreds of insects dancing around flowers, beavers, muskrats, water snakes, or frogs.
: The eggs and hatchlings of snapping turtles are eaten by many animals such as other large turtles, great blue herons, crows, raccoons, skunks, foxes, bullfrogs, water snakes, and large predatory fish, such as largemouth bass.
The American eel is a member of the order of bony fishes called Anguilliformes and is also called Atlantic eel common eel, silver eel, yellow-bellied eel, freshwater eel, bronze eel, water snake and whip.
Distribution ...
Serpentine or lateral progression: This form of locomotion is the undulating crawl, commonly called 'slithering,' and the most common form of movement. It allows the snake to reach maximum speeds and is employed by all water snakes to swim.
Small families or pairs of sarus cranes live in open landscapes, often in marshy areas or along shores of lakes and ponds. These birds aren't picky eaters: they feed on marsh plants, numerous types of aquatic insects, frogs, and even water snakes.
They are coastal rather than oceanic birds. All are fish-eaters, dining on small eels, fish, and even water snakes. They dive from the surface. Under water they propel themselves with their feet. [abstracted from Wikipedia] ...
 See also: Snake, Reptile, Garter Snake, Ribbon Snake, Racer
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