Redbelly Water Snake
Nerodia erythrogaster
A heavy-bodied water snake with a plain dark back and a bright reddish-orange belly, common along ponds and swamps of the American South.
- Venomous?
- Non-venomous
- Adult length
- 0.75-1.5 m (2.5-5 ft)
- Range
- Southeastern and south-central United States
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Overview
The Redbelly Water Snake is a large, non-venomous colubrid found throughout the southeastern United States. It is one of several closely related Nerodia water snakes that are frequently mistaken for venomous cottonmouths due to their thick bodies and aggressive defensive display.
Despite its fearsome bluff behavior when cornered, it relies entirely on its jaws and quick strikes rather than venom, and poses no serious threat to people.
How to identify it
- Uniform olive, brown, gray, or black back with little to no pattern in adults
- Bright red, orange, or yellowish-orange belly, giving the species its name
- Heavy, thick body with keeled (ridged) scales giving a rough texture
- Broad, somewhat triangular-looking head, though pupils are round (unlike pit vipers)
- Juveniles show faint blotching that fades with age
- Distinguished from cottonmouths by round pupils, lack of facial pit, and thinner neck-to-head transition
Habitat & range
Found in a wide variety of freshwater habitats including swamps, marshes, ponds, lakes, ditches, and slow-moving streams throughout the coastal plain and piedmont of the southeastern U.S. Often found far from water in wet woodlands or during rainy periods.
Behavior, diet & reproduction
Primarily active during the day and at dusk, though it may become more nocturnal in hot summer months. Feeds mainly on fish and amphibians, actively foraging along shorelines and in shallow water. When threatened, it flattens its body, gapes its mouth, and may strike repeatedly, mimicking venomous species. Gives birth to live young in late summer.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Redbelly Water Snake venomous?
No, it is completely non-venomous, though it can bite defensively if handled.
How can I tell it apart from a cottonmouth?
Redbelly Water Snakes have round pupils, no heat-sensing pit, and a slimmer head-to-neck profile compared to the blocky, pit-bearing head of a cottonmouth.
What does it eat?
Mostly fish and frogs, which it hunts actively in and around shallow water.
Where does it live?
Freshwater wetlands throughout the southeastern United States, from Virginia to Texas.
Redbelly Water Snake guides
In-depth guides for identifying and understanding Redbelly Water Snake.
