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piddle snake are non - venomous snakes found in North America that , true to their name , like to pass fourth dimension in or around pee . piddle snakes are often confused with water moccasin snake ( also calledcottonmouths ) , whicharevenomous with a dangerous bite . unfitness to tell the two species aside has led to the death of many harmless water system snakes .
Water Snake and urine moccasins are from two dissimilar family line ( respectively , Colubridae , the prominent snake family ; and Viperidae , or vipers ) , but they look superficially similar , fit in to Bill Heyborne , a herpetologist and prof of biological science at Southern Utah University . “ The similarity may be an evolutionary adaption of the body of water snakes to quash depredation . ”
Northern water snakes are one of the most common types of water snake.
One good style to state them apart is by their straits and neck . “ body of water moccasin be given to have blockish , lowering heads , and thick stocky body for their length , ” he said . “ They also tend to have a more distinctive cervix . ” In contrast , “ water supply snakes have a narrower , rounder capitulum , a longer , more slender eubstance and a less distinctive neck , ” enounce Heyborne . water system snakes do not have any heat - raw pits on their faces , while water mocassin do , but get unaired enough to a snake to determine the presence of pits is dangerous .
“ If you are shy , it is best to forget serpent alone and not risk getting them disconnected , ” said Heyborne .
Water snake characteristics
The markings and coloration of water supply snake vary somewhat from species to species , but for the most part they are brown , gray , olive honey oil or reddish with obscure splotches or bands on their binding . Sometimes they look self-coloured brown or black when wet .
Water Snake River scale of measurement are keeled ; they have a raised ridge down the center , making them rough to the touch . The pupils in their eye are round .
female are heavier and longer than males , and rise much quicker , according to an article in the journalEcological Monographs . Water snakes can acquire big , with the northern water snake reaching length of nigh 5 fundament ( 1.5 meters ) and other specie average around 3 feet ( 1 MB ) .
Banded water snakes, or Southern water snakes, are found in the Southeastern coastal United States.
Habitat
Water snakes are abundant in the southern and eastern United States , allot towatersnake.net . They are one of the most oft encountered Hydra in place like Florida , Georgia , the Carolinas , Alabama , Arkansas and Mississippi . Some metal money of water snake are chance in the Midwest and Western United States as well , in places like Illinois , Iowa and California .
concord to the University of Michigan’sAnimal Diversity Web & ( ADW ) , water snakes are well-chosen to dwell near any character of significant water rootage , such as river , lake , pool and marshes , though they prefer relatively quiet urine . They like to bask in the sun so search areas that are not overly shade . When they ’re done with the sun , water Hydra take recourse under flat rocks and logs .
Water snakes expend a lot of time swimming or basking in shallows , but they also venture on res publica and mount trees . Still , they never stray far from a body of water source .
As their name implies, red-bellied water snakes have a red stripe along their bellies.
Behavior
Heyborne noted that water snakes are known to be aggressive . “ When handle , they tend to sizz or sting as a defense , ” he say . For this reason , they do not make good pets . They sometimes become aggressive when approach , even if they are not touched .
Water snake often climb trees and rest on the branches above the water supply . If disturbed , they will neglect down into the water . They lean to be solitary animals and are master diurnal , though they sometimes run at night as well . They hibernate in the winter and are social directly before and after hibernation . At this clip , mathematical group may savour together , according to the ADW .
water system snakes produce a musky secernment from glands near their arse , say Heyborne , which can be expelled if they sense threatened . Water snakes have also been known to defecate and cast when threatened or agitated .
The Lake Erie water snake was once on the Endangered Species List but has recovered and populations are stable.
Hunting and diet
Water Snake tend to feed in or nigh H2O , Heyborne said . “ Common prey let in fish and amphibians ( Gaul , toads and salamanders ) . ” They favour tardily - moving Pisces . According to a study published in the journalEcology , once water snakes get to about 1.5 feet ( 45 cm ) in length , their food orientation change from Pisces to frogs and other large animals like salamanders and toads . Smaller water system snakes will maintain their primarily fish dieting .
Water snakes get down their prey awake . In shallow water supply , they hold off with their mouths open wide for prey to exceed by , and then they snap their jaws around it . They also explore for prey on the lake or river bottom , investigating under rock , arm and in crevices for hiding prey , accord to an article on aquatic snake in the grass foraging inBehaviourjournal .
“ Recent research indicates that at least some coinage of water ophidian produce venom - corresponding proteins in their spit , ” say Heyborne . One type of protein is an anti - coagulant , which makes wound bleed more profusely . If the quarry hightail it , the water supply snake can trace its train of blood . “ Although these pose small risk to heavy animals such as humans , to their small - bodied prey , these proteins may demo a pregnant terror , ” said Heyborne .
Reproduction
According to an article in theJournal of Herpetology , male water snakes reach sexual maturity date around 21 month , while females hand it around 3 years . Females engender each year , giving birth to a litter of around 20 live snakes . piss Snake are ovoviviparous , which means that eggs cover inside the mother ’s body . Litters of up to 100 have been reported in bombastic Snake , according to the ADW .
Mating time of year for water Snake River is in the leap . Males pursue female . The male person border on the female person and scratch his chin along her back with occasional spasms before fetch their cloacal opening together . Usually only one manly first mate with a female person per season , though occasionally two do , according to " A Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles " ( Stokes , 1990 ) , by Thomas F. Tyning .
Females gestate for three to five month . baby are around a foundation long and are independent as soon as they ’re born .
Taxonomy/classification
body of water snakes are of the subfamily Natricinae and are pertain togarter snake in the grass . There are 10 species of water snakes , according to theIntegrated Taxonomic Information System(ITIS ) .
The taxonomy of pee Hydra is :
Kingdom : AnimaliaSubkingdom : BilateriaInfrakingdom : DeuterostomiaPhylum : ChordataSubphylum : VertebrataInfraphylum : GnathostomataSuperclass : TetrapodaClass : ReptiliaOrder : SquamataSuborder : SerpentesInfraorder : AlethinophidiaFamily : ColubridaeSubfamily : NatricinaeGenus : NerodiaSpecies :
Species specifics
Here are some commonly encountered or specially captivating specie and subspecies :
Northern water snake ( Nerodia sipedon )
northerly water Snake are one of the most unwashed types of water snake . As their name implies , they subsist in the Northeastern United States and southern Ontario , though their range extends south to Mississippi and Georgia and as far west as Kansas . They are among the largest of water Snake River , with female get to well-nigh 5 metrical foot ( 1.5 meter ) .
Northern water ophidian are the most likely water system snake to be confused with a body of water moccasin , according to theSavannah River Ecology Laboratory . Like water mocassin , they are brown , tan or gray . weewee moccasins have colored stria , and Northern pee snakes have coloured splotch that sometimes merge to front like bands .
According to Tyning , northerly H2O snake sometimes herd fish or tadpoles to the piss ’s edge , where they fertilize on many at a time .
band ( or Southern ) water snake ( Nerodia fasciata )
These average - sized ophidian are found in the Southeastern coastal United States , from Alabama to North Carolina . They range from reddish or light brown to melanize and have dark crossbands , according to theSavannah River Ecology Laboratory(SREL ) . Their crossbands are wide across the middle of the back and narrower on the sides . The snakes darken as they age , sometimes make the crossbands harder to see . Banded water snakes have solid markings on the side of their bellies and a gloomy bar from their eyes to their jaw .
Brown H2O snake ( Nerodia taxispilota )
Like banded water snakes , brown water snakes are incur along the Southeastern United States ’ coastal plain from the Carolinas to Alabama . They can be large snake , with female person make distance of 5 foot ( 1.5 m ) . male can be as small as 2.5 feet ( 76 centimeters ) . harmonise to the ADW , brown water snakes have a distinctive wide of the mark head that resembles a diamond when see from above . This , combined with their high - set eyes make them commonly confused with water moccasins and rattler .
As their name suggest , brown water supply snakes are brown in color . Usually they are abstemious to medium brown with dark brown , square splotches along their backs and sides . Some have a theme color so dark that the splotches are hardly visible . They have yellow or browned bellies with satisfying and black crescent markings .
dark-brown water snakes are exceptionally fond of spend time in trees .
chicken - belly urine Hydra ( Nerodiaerythrogasterflavigaster )
A race of the plainly - bellied H2O snake , these Snake are so refer because they have no mark on their bellies . The yellow - bellied H2O snake has a dark , sparsely pattern back with gray , greenish or contraband colouration and a yellow underside . Though lacking in markings as adult , yellow - belly out water snakes have distinctive patterns when young , according to theMissouri Department of Conservation .
chicken - belly out water snakes are medium - size , with females reaching about 4 feet ( 1.2 m ) in duration .
Yellow - belly water snakes dwell mainly in the Gulf Coast neighborhood , with a range extending from Georgia to Texas to southern Iowa .
Red - belly out water Snake River ( Nerodia erythrogaster erythrogaster )
This is another subspecies of manifestly - bellied water snake . As their name suggests , their undersides are cherry - hued , ranging from bright orange to white-livered - carmine . The red - bellied ’s first cousin , the copper - bellied water snake in the grass ( Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta ) , has a dark red underside . red-faced - bellied water snakes have brown or gray backs that are mostly unmarked , according to theVirginia Herpetological Society . juvenile person , however , have distinctive patterns .
Red - bellied weewee snakes pass more time on land than most other mintage of water snakes , according to theSavannah River Ecology Laboratory . They are often see crossing roads and generally flee to the domain if they are threatened , unlike other water snakes .
Lake Erie water snake in the grass ( Nerodia sipedon insularum )
consort to theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service , this once - endanger subspecies of the northerly H2O snake is now thriving in its home ground on the bumpy shores and islands of Lake Erie . The Lake Erie water Hydra is a soft gray color with partial band pattern . It is a medium - size snake in the grass , with females reaching around 3.5 foot ( 1 molarity ) in distance .
Its diet has changed since the debut of the circular goby fish in the 1990s . Today , the Lake Erie water supply snake ’s dieting is 90 pct invasive goby Pisces and 10 percent native Pisces .
Conservation status
Most types of water snakes are not endangered , according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ) . However , two metal money are on the IUCN ’s Red List of Threatened Species .
The Brazos River water snake ( Nerodia harteri ) and the Concho weewee serpent ( Nerodia paucimaculata ) are list as Near Threatened because their respective image are limit to about 1,900 square mile ( 5,000 square kilometers ) in north - fundamental Texas . However , their population are mean to be static . The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ( USFWS ) delist theConcho water snakefrom the Endangered Species List in 2011 because its universe had raise to " viable " level .
The USFWS lists thecopper - bellied water snake(Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta ) as threatened , meaning it will likely become imperil in the near future . There are only about 200 snakes remaining in its northern population segment in southern Michigan , northeastern Indiana and northwestern Ohio .
Additional resource
