Common Watersnake
Nerodia sipedon • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Nerodia, Species: Nerodia sipedon
Native to North America, ranging throughout the eastern and central United States and parts of southeastern Canada, including Illinois.
Look up Common Watersnake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Nerodia, Species: Nerodia sipedon
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, facing no major widespread threats though locally impacted by habitat destruction and intentional killing.
Physical Description
Heavy-bodied snake with dark brown, reddish-brown, or grey coloration marked by darker crossbands on the neck and alternating blotches along the back and sides. Features keeled scales and a relatively broad head.
Size & Dimensions
Adult specimens typically range from 66 to 135 cm (26 to 53 inches) in total length, with females generally growing larger than males.
Habitat
Found primarily in or near permanent bodies of fresh water such as streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps, and marshes. Often basks on rocks, logs, or branches hanging over water.
Diet & Feeding
Feeds primarily on fish and amphibians, including frogs and tadpoles, hunting both as an active forager in water and by ambushing prey from shore.
Reproduction
Ovoviviparous, giving birth to live young. Mating occurs in the spring, and females typically give birth to a litter ranging from 10 to 50 or more young in late summer.
Look-alikes
Frequently confused with various species of watersnakes within the same genus, as well as cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus) due to similar coloration and heavy-bodied appearance.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, facing no major widespread threats though locally impacted by habitat destruction and intentional killing.
Cultural Significance
Plays an important ecological role in controlling populations of fish and amphibians and serves as a prey item for larger predators.
Notable Features
Known for emitting a foul-smelling musk when handled and flattening its head and body defensively when cornered, often leading to misidentification.
Notes
Illinois