Northern Watersnake
Nerodia sipedon • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Nerodia, Species: Nerodia sipedon
Eastern and central North America, ranging from southern Canada down through the eastern United States to the Carolinas and west to Kansas and Nebraska.
Look up Northern 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, as it has a wide distribution and generally stable populations, though it faces localized threats from habitat loss and direct human persecution due to misidentification.
Physical Description
Heavy-bodied snake with strongly keeled dorsal scales. Coloration typically consists of brownish, reddish-brown, or grey base color with darker crossbands on the neck and alternating blotches on the back and sides. The belly is often heavily patterned with half-moons and spots.
Size & Dimensions
Adult specimen length typically ranges from 66 to 135 cm (26 to 53 inches), with females generally growing larger than males.
Habitat
Found primarily near permanent bodies of fresh water such as streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, marshes, and swamps. They prefer slow-moving or still water with ample basking sites like rocks, logs, or overhanging branches.
Diet & Feeding
Diet consists primarily of fish and amphibians such as frogs, toads, and salamanders. They are active foragers that hunt both in the water and along the shore, swallowing prey alive.
Reproduction
Ovoviviparous species, giving birth to live young. Mating occurs in spring, and females typically give birth to litters averaging 20 to 30 young in late summer.
Look-alikes
Frequently confused with venomous pit vipers such as copperheads and cottonmouths due to heavy body shape and patterned appearance. Can be distinguished by round pupils, lack of facial pits, and a narrower head that is not distinctly triangular.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, as it has a wide distribution and generally stable populations, though it faces localized threats from habitat loss and direct human persecution due to misidentification.
Cultural Significance
Plays an important ecological role in aquatic and riparian food webs by controlling amphibian and fish populations. Often misunderstood and mistakenly killed by humans fearing dangerous species.
Notable Features
Possesses specialized strongly keeled scales that provide traction during aquatic locomotion and hunting. When threatened, they are known to flatten their bodies, musk from cloacal glands, and strike repeatedly.