Common 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 Gulf Coast, and westward to the Great Plains.
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, as it has a wide distribution, presumed large population, and occurs in many protected areas.
Physical Description
Displays a stout body with heavily keeled scales, a brownish or greyish base coloration, and a pattern of darker crossbands on the neck transitioning to alternating blotches down the back and sides. The head is relatively distinct from the neck, and the eyes are medium-sized with round pupils.
Size & Dimensions
Specimens typically range from 66 to 106 cm (26 to 42 inches) in total length, with maximum recorded lengths reaching up to 140 cm (55 inches).
Habitat
Found primarily in or near freshwater aquatic habitats such as streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, marshes, swamps, and sluggish water bodies, generally from sea level up to moderate elevations.
Diet & Feeding
Feeds primarily on fish, amphibians, crayfish, and occasionally small mammals or birds. It is an active forager that hunts both visually and through chemoreception near or in water.
Reproduction
Viviparous (gives birth to live young), producing litters typically ranging from 8 to over 50 young, usually born in late summer or early autumn after a gestation period of several months.
Look-alikes
Frequently confused with various species of copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix) and cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus) due to coloration, but can be distinguished by its round pupils, lack of facial pits, differing head shape, and distinct banding/blotch patterns.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, as it has a wide distribution, presumed large population, and occurs in many protected areas.
Cultural Significance
Plays an important ecological role in aquatic and riparian food webs by controlling populations of fish and amphibians, though it often suffers from human persecution due to mistaken identity.
Notable Features
Known for its defensive behaviors when cornered, which can include flattening the head and body, releasing a foul-smelling musk from cloacal glands, and striking repeatedly.