| Banded water snake | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Nerodia |
| Species: | N. fasciata |
| Binomial name | |
| Nerodia fasciata (Linnaeus, 1766) | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
The banded water snake or southern water snake (Nerodia fasciata) is a species of mostly aquatic, nonvenomous, colubrid snakes most commonly found in the Midwest, Southeastern United States.
N. fasciata is natively found from southern Illinois, south to Louisiana, and east to North Carolina and Florida. Introduced populations exist in Texas and California; [1] other sources include eastern Texas in its natural range. [6] In 1992, its congener Nerodia sipedon (northern or common water snake) and it were found in three sites in California by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). In 2009, more than 300 banded water snakes were caught in suburbs of Los Angeles by the Nerodia Working Group of USFWS. Then in May 2016, the species was found in the Colorado River basin near Yuma, Arizona. Further trapping did indeed catch large numbers of them, indicating that a thriving invasive population exists in that area. [7] [8] [9]
Adults of the banded water snake typically range from 56 to 107 cm (22 to 42 in) in total length, with a record size (in the Florida subspecies) of 159 cm (62.5 in) in total length. [10]
It is typically gray, greenish-gray, or brown in color, with dark crossbanding. Many specimens are so dark in color that their patterning is barely discernible. The ventrum (belly) is typically an off-white to white. They have flat heads, and are fairly heavy-bodied. Banded water snakes may also be identified by a dark stripe which extends from the eye to the angle of the jaw. If irritated, they release a foul-smelling musk to deter predators.[ citation needed ] This species also exhibits sexual dimorphism in which the female is generally longer and heavier than the male. [11] The average frequency of skin shedding has been found to be every four weeks. [12]
Their appearance leads them to be frequently mistaken for other snakes with which they share a habitat, including the venomous cottonmouth.
N. fasciata inhabits most freshwater environments such as lakes, marshes, ponds, and streams. [13] Banded water snakes are active both day and night and may be seen basking on logs or branches overhanging the water or foraging in shallow water. [14] They will typically stay within emergent vegetation along the shoreline or in the shallow littoral zone of their habitat. [15]
The species preys mainly on fish and frogs. [16] On occasion, they prey on small turtles, small snakes, birds, earthworms, and crawfish. [17] Juveniles mainly consume fish and shift towards eating frogs as adults. This shift may be caused by large frogs being mechanically too difficult for juveniles to consume (which may suggest juveniles may be unable to open their jaws wide enough for adult frogs), because large frogs are energetically too costly for juveniles to catch, or because juveniles are at risk if swallowing prey requires a long time. [18] Individuals less than 500 mm snout–vent length (SVL) primarily consume relatively light mosquito fish and topminnows, whereas individuals exceeding 500 mm SVL begin taking massive bufonid (toad) and ranid (frog) prey. [19]
Using its vomeronasal organ, also called Jacobson's organ, the snake can detect parvalbumins in the cutaneous mucus of its prey. [5]
The species is ovoviviparous, giving birth to live young. [6] The brood size varies from 15 to 20 young born in late July or August. [14] Newborns are 200–240 mm (about 8.0–9.5 in) in total length. [20] The banded water snake is able to hybridize with the common watersnake, although this is not frequent. Physical characteristics are insufficient to distinguish such hybrids, and DNA analysis is required. [21]
When threatened, banded water snakes flatten their bodies to appear larger and emit a foul musk from their anal glands, and bite repeatedly. They will slash sideways when biting to tear the flesh of the attacker. [22]
The three recognized subspecies of N. fasciata, including the nominotypical subspecies, are: [6]
Some older sources have considered Nerodia fasciata to be a subspecies of Nerodia sipedon . [6] [4] [20] [24]
Agkistrodon piscivorus is a species of venomous snake, a pit viper in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. It is one of the world's few semiaquatic vipers, and is native to the Southeastern United States. As an adult, it is large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite. When threatened, it may respond by coiling its body and displaying its fangs. Individuals may bite when feeling threatened or being handled in any way. It tends to be found in or near water, particularly in slow-moving and shallow lakes, streams, and marshes. It is a capable swimmer, and like several species of snakes, is known to occasionally enter bays and estuaries and swim between barrier islands and the mainland.
The queen snake is a species of nonvenomous semiaquatic snake, a member of the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to North America.
Nerodia is a genus of nonvenomous colubrid snakes commonly referred to as water snakes due to their aquatic behavior. The genus includes nine species, all native to North America. Five of the species have recognized subspecies.
Nerodia rhombifer, commonly known as the diamondback water snake, is a species of nonvenomous natricine colubrid endemic to the central United States and northern Mexico. There are three recognized subspecies of N. rhombifer, including the nominotypical subspecies.
Nerodia erythrogaster, also known as the plain-bellied water snake or plainbelly water snake, is a common species of semi-aquatic, non-venomous colubrid snake endemic to the United States.
The Florida cottonmouth is a species of venomous snake, a pit viper in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to the United States, where it occurs in southern Georgia and the Florida peninsula in nearly every type of wetlands in the region, including brackish water and offshore islands. However, it is not entirely dependent on water and is occasionally encountered as far as a mile from surface water. Agkistrodon conanti venom is very hemolytic and known to cause relatively extensive necrosis compared to many snake venoms, and can sometimes be lethal with a 17% mortality rate. It is often confused with harmless watersnakes (Nerodia) and other semi-aquatic species with which it shares its habitat.
Nerodia paucimaculata, commonly known as the Concho water snake, is a species of mostly aquatic, nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Texas in the United States.
The Brazos water snake, also called commonly Harter's water snake, is a species of mostly aquatic, nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to Texas in the United States.
Nerodia clarkii, commonly known as the salt marsh snake, is a species of semi-aquatic, nonvenomous, colubrid snake found in the southeastern United States. Their range extends along the brackish salt marshes of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Coast from Texas to Florida, with an additional population in northern Cuba. Different subspecies of this snake are primarily identified via color patterns on each snake's belly, or anterior.
The crayfish snake, also known commonly as the glossy crayfish snake, the glossy swampsnake, the glossy water snake, and the striped water snake, is a species of semiaquatic snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to the southeastern United States, and preys mainly on crayfish.
Kirtland's snake is a threatened or endangered North American species of nonvenomous snake of the subfamily Natricinae, of the family Colubridae. It is the only species in the genus Clonophis.
The Florida banded water snake, a subspecies of the banded water snake, is a nonvenomous natricine colubrid native to the southeastern United States.
The green water snake is a common species of nonvenomous natricine snake endemic to the southeastern United States.
The brown water snake is a large species of nonvenomous natricine snake endemic to the southeastern United States. This snake is often one of the most abundant species of snakes found in rivers and streams of the southeastern United States, yet many aspects of its natural history is poorly known. Due to abundance and distribution throughout its biological range, this species could be used to investigate anthropogenic impacts on aquatic ecosystems by studying their movements.
The midland water snake, a subspecies of the northern water snake, is a nonvenomous natricine snake, which is endemic to North America.
Nerodia floridana, commonly known as the Florida green watersnake, or eastern green watersnake, is a harmless species of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to the southeastern United States.
The common watersnake is a species of large, nonvenomous, common snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to North America. It is frequently mistaken for the venomous cottonmouth.
Nerodia clarkii clarkii, the Gulf salt marsh snake, is a subspecies of N. clarkii that is indigenous to the south-eastern United States. It is a nonvenomous, colubrid snake that inhabits coastal salt marshes and brackish estuaries along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Texas.
The Lake Erie watersnake, a subspecies of the common watersnake, is a nonvenomous natricine snake. It is found on the offshore islands of Western Lake Erie, as well as the mainland of Ottawa County, Ohio. In 1999 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the subspecies as a threatened subspecies after the population fell to 1,500 individuals. In 2011, the subspecies was removed from the list after the population increased to nearly 12,000 individuals by 2009.
| Authority control databases: National |
|---|
