(Nerodia sipedon)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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IUCN Red List | LC - Least Concern |
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NatureServe | N5 - Secure S4 - Apparently Secure |
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Minnesota | not listed |
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Description |
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The background color is reddish-brown to tan or gray, but it may appear all brown, especially when dry. There are dark brown to black, squarish blotches on the back and similar spots on the sides. The back spots sometimes alternate with the side spots, sometimes join with them to form bands. The belly is cream colored and is usually irregularly covered with reddish, half-moon shaped marks. |
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Size |
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24″ to 55″ |
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Similar Species |
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Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus) tail ends in a small, dark-colored rattle. Northern cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) is similar but have bands instead of blotches on the back. Their range does not extend to the upper Midwest. |
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Habitat |
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Ponds, lakes, marshes, streams, and river backwaters. |
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Ecology |
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Behavior |
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It can often be seen basking on a tree branch or shrub on the shore or bank of a river or stream. t is not poisonous to humans but it can deliver a painful bite if cornered. |
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Lifespan |
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Up to 9.6 years |
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Life Cycle |
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Food |
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Fish, mammals, frogs, toads, salamanders, crayfish, worms, young snakes, young turtles, and insects. |
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Distribution |
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Sources |
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1/20/2023 | ||||
Occurrence |
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Taxonomy |
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Class | Reptilia (reptiles) | ||
Superorder | Lepidosauria | ||
Order | Squamata (snakes and lizards) | ||
Suborder | Serpentes (snakes) | ||
Infraorder | Alethinophidia | ||
Superfamily | Colubroidea | ||
Family |
Colubridae (colubrid snakes) | ||
Subfamily |
Natricinae | ||
Genus |
Nerodia (watersnakes) | ||
Subordinate Taxa |
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Carolina watersnake (Nerodia sipedon williamengelsi) Lake Erie watersnake (Nerodia sipedon insularum) midland watersnake (Nerodia sipedon pleuralis) northern watersnake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon) |
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Synonyms |
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Natrix sipedon Coluber sipedon |
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Common Names |
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common watersnake northern watersnake |
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Visitor Photos |
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Share your photo of this reptile. |
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This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption. |
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Jeff LeClere |
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Jason Durnen |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Slideshows |
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Visitor Videos |
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Share your video of this reptile. |
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This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link. |
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Other Videos |
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Northern watersnake - Nerodia sipedon sipedon - Hamilton County, Ohio, USA - May 27, 2013 William Hull |
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About
Published on May 29, 2013 Northern watersnake eating what appears to be a Stonecat Madtom. |
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Venom H.L. Non Venomous, Northern watersnake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon) VenomHerpLair |
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About
Published on Jul 28, 2013 |
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Venom H.L. Non Venomous, Northern watersnake (Nerodia sipedon sipedon) In HD VenomHerpLair |
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About
Published on Aug 24, 2013 |
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Northern watersnake nwwmark |
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About
Uploaded on Aug 23, 2009 The Northern watersnake is certainly one of the most enigmatic ambush predators to be found. They live in an aquatic world of ponds, bogs, marshes and also brooks if the water is slow moving. They wait in an ambush position within these bodies of water searching for their prey which consists of a wide variety of animals including, frogs, salamanders, juvenile turtles and amazingly they even catch fish! They can grow to be a large bulky snake with some reaching well over 50 inches in length and being easily as thick as an adults arm! When threatened, they much prefer to bolt into the cover of the water but if cornered, to defend themselves they will lash out viciously biting and wriggling there strong bodies. When they are picked up they will secret a fowl smelling pungent odor and urinate all in an attempt to return to the safety of the water they call home. They are a beautiful snake and when young, have amazing markings and colorations. As they get older, they get darker in color and eventually nearly all black. I grew up catching and releasing these snakes as a child and have always thought of them fondly. Like all wild species, they require habitat to remain healthy and allow future generations to enjoy the wonder of the Northern watersnake! I'm Mark Fraser see me at http://www.naturewalkswithmark.org, and thank you for helping to protect the natural world! Did you know? Northern watersnakes can grow as long as 53 inches! They often catch fish! Awesome! As reptiles, they must bask in sunlight to regulate their body temperature. They are sometimes eaten by predators such as: raccoons, fox and birds of prey, which is why they have learned to thrash wildly to escape when held. |
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60-Second Snakes: The Northern watersnake MichiganDNR |
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About
Published on Jul 24, 2015 The Michigan DNR’s 60-Second Snakes video series talks about identification tips and information about Michigan’s snake species. This episode features the northern watersnake. Learn more about the northern watersnake: http://bit.ly/northernwatersnake. A special thanks to Nature Discovery (http://bit.ly/1IcfFlb) for the opportunity to film their live educational snake specimens. |
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