Florida Watersnake
Nerodia fasciata pictiventris • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Nerodia, Species: Nerodia fasciata
Southeastern United States, particularly endemic to the Florida peninsula and extending into southern Georgia.
Look up Florida Watersnake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Nerodia, Species: Nerodia fasciata
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern. Threats include habitat loss, drainage of wetlands, and mortality from vehicular traffic.
Physical Description
Robust body with heavily keeled scales giving a rough appearance. Dark brown to blackish dorsal coloration with indistinct darker crossbands or blotches obscured by dark pigment, a relatively stout head distinct from the neck, and vertical dark bars along the labial scales.
Size & Dimensions
Estimated specimen length is approximately 60 to 90 cm. Typical adult size ranges from 60 to 120 cm in total length, with females generally growing larger than males.
Habitat
Aquatic and semi-aquatic habitats including cypress swamps, marshes, ponds, lakes, slow-moving streams, and roadside ditches, often basking on logs, rocks, or banks near water.
Diet & Feeding
Primarily feeds on fish and amphibians, including frogs, tadpoles, and small fish, hunted actively in shallow water or ambushed near the water's edge.
Reproduction
Viviparous, giving birth to live young. Mating occurs in spring, and females typically produce litters ranging from 10 to over 50 young in late summer.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern. Threats include habitat loss, drainage of wetlands, and mortality from vehicular traffic.
Cultural Significance
Plays an important ecological role in aquatic food webs as both predator and prey, helping to control amphibian and fish populations in wetland ecosystems.
Notable Features
Exhibits strong aquatic adaptations such as nostrils positioned high on the snout for breathing while mostly submerged, and behaviors that include flattening the body and releasing a foul-smelling musk when threatened.
Notes
Palm Beach County, Florida