Common Watersnake
Nerodia sipedon • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Nerodia, Species: Nerodia sipedon
Common across North America, ranging from southern Ontario and Quebec in Canada, through the eastern and central United States, as far south as North Carolina and as far west as Colorado and Oklahoma.
Look up Common Watersnake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Colubridae, Subfamily: Natricinae, Genus: Nerodia, Species: Nerodia sipedon
Conservation
Least Concern (IUCN) - stable populations across most of their range, though threatened locally by habitat loss and persecution due to confusion with venomous snakes.
Physical Description
Heavy-bodied snake with strongly keeled scales. Coloration is typically brown, tan, or grayish with dark crossbands near the head that break into alternating dorsal and lateral blotches further down the body. The head is flat and slightly wider than the neck, with round pupils.
Size & Dimensions
The specimen appears to be an adult, approximately 24 to 36 inches (60-90 cm). The species typically ranges from 24 to 42 inches, with a record maximum of around 59 inches.
Habitat
Found in various freshwater environments including lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and marshes. They prefer slow-moving or still water with ample vegetation and basking sites (rocks or logs) and can be found from sea level up to moderate elevations.
Diet & Feeding
primarily piscivorous (fish eaters) and also consume amphibians like frogs, toads, and salamanders. They are active foragers that swallow prey alive without constriction.
Reproduction
Viviparous (gives birth to live young). Mating occurs in spring, and females typically give birth to a litter of 15 to 30 young (sometimes up to 100) in late summer or early fall.
Look-alikes
Often confused with the venomous Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus). To distinguish: Watersnakes have round pupils (Cottonmouths have vertical slits), labial bars (dark vertical lines on the lip scales), and lack the deep facial heat-sensing pits found in pit vipers.
Conservation Status
Least Concern (IUCN) - stable populations across most of their range, though threatened locally by habitat loss and persecution due to confusion with venomous snakes.
Cultural Significance
Ecologically significant as a mid-level predator that helps control populations of fish and amphibians. They are often targets of unnecessary killing because they are misunderstood and frequently mistaken for venomous species.
Notable Features
Highly adapted for aquatic life, they can remain submerged for extended periods. Their 'labial bars' (dark vertical lines between the scales on the upper and lower lips) are a key diagnostic feature for the genus Nerodia.