Northern Watersnake
Nerodia sipedon • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Nerodia, Species: Nerodia sipedon
Found widely across eastern and central North America, ranging from southern Canada through the eastern United States down to the Gulf Coast and west to Kansas and Oklahoma.
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, due to a wide distribution, high adaptability, and generally stable populations.
Physical Description
Dark brown, grey, or reddish-black coloration with distinct darker crossbands on the neck region that transition into alternating dorsal and lateral blotches further down the body. The head is distinct from the neck, and scales are heavily keeled.
Size & Dimensions
Estimated specimen length is approximately 60 to 90 cm. Typical adult size ranges from 75 to 135 cm in total length.
Habitat
Primarily aquatic habitats including slow-moving streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, marshes, swamps, and retention basins. Highly amphibious, frequently basking on logs, rocks, or overhanging branches near water.
Diet & Feeding
Feeds primarily on fish, amphibians, tadpoles, and occasionally crayfish or small mammals. Active hunter in water and along shorelines, using quick strikes to catch aquatic prey.
Reproduction
Ovoviviparous, giving live birth to litters typically ranging from 10 to 50 young. Mating occurs in spring, and litters are usually born in late summer or early autumn.
Look-alikes
Frequently confused with various species of watersnakes within its genus (Nerodia) as well as cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus), though cottonmouths possess a heavier-bodied build and vertical pupils.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, due to a wide distribution, high adaptability, and generally stable populations.
Cultural Significance
Plays an important ecological role in controlling amphibian and fish populations in aquatic ecosystems.
Notable Features
Known for defensive behaviors when cornered, which include flattening the head, striking repeatedly, and releasing a foul-smelling musk from anal glands.