Northern water snake

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Common water snake
Nerodia sipedonPCSL02111B1.jpg
Nerodia sipedon
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Nerodia
Species:
N. sipedon
Binomial name
Nerodia sipedon
Subspecies

Four, see text

Synonyms [2] [3]

The common water snake (Nerodia sipedon) [4] is a species of large, nonvenomous, common snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to North America.

Contents

Common names

Common names for Nerodia sipedon include banded water snake, black water adder, black water snake, brown water snake, common water snake, common northern water snake, eastern water snake, North American water snake, northern banded water snake, northern water snake, spotted water snake, streaked snake, water pilot, and water snake. [5]

Description

The common water snake can grow up to 135 cm (4 ft 5 in) in total length (including tail). [6] Per one study, average total length of females was 81.4 cm (2 ft 8 in) while that of males was 69.6 cm (2 ft 3 in). [7] Per known studies of this species in the wild, adult females can weigh between 158.9 and 408 g (5.61 and 14.39 oz) in average body mass while the smaller male can average from 80.8 to 151 g (2.85 to 5.33 oz). [8] [9] [10] [11] The largest females can weigh up to 560 g (20 oz) while the largest males can scale 370 g (13 oz). [12] [13]

Nerodia sipedon can be brown, gray, reddish, or brownish-black. It has dark crossbands on the neck and dark blotches on the rest of the body, often leading to misidentification as a cottonmouth or copperhead by novices. As N. sipedon ages, the color darkens, and the pattern becomes obscure. Some individuals will become almost completely black. The belly also varies in color. It can be white, yellow, or gray. Usually it also has reddish or black crescents.

The common water snake is nonvenomous and harmless to humans, but superficially resembles the venomous cottonmouth and is often killed unnecessarily as a result of this mistaken identity. The two can be easily distinguished by morphological traits: the water snake has a longer, more slender body and a flattened head the same width as the neck, round pupils, and no heat-sensing pits. The cottonmouth has a fatter body, a wedge-shaped head with prominent venom glands that are wider than the neck, cat-like pupils, and heat-sensing pits between the eyes and the nostrils. [14]

Colubrid snakes also have flat scales upon their heads, while vipers all possess smaller, rugose scutes.

Subspecies

The following four subspecies are recognized as being valid (listed alphabetically). [2]

Geographic range

The common water snake is found throughout eastern and central North America, from southern Ontario and southern Quebec in the north, to Texas and Florida in the south. [15] It has been introduced in California where it is considered an invasive species likely to compete with native giant garter snakes Thamnophis gigas. [16]

Behavior

Northern water snake basking west of Ottawa, Ontario Northern water snake.jpg
Northern water snake basking west of Ottawa, Ontario

N. sipedon is active during the day and at night. It is most often seen basking on rocks, stumps, or brush. During the day, it hunts among plants at the water's edge, looking for small fish, frogs, worms, leeches, crayfish, salamanders, small birds and mammals [ citation needed ]. At night, it concentrates on minnows and other small fish sleeping in shallow water. It hunts using smell and sight. The Lake Erie water snake subspecies, Nerodia sipedon insularum, was once endangered, but now benefits from the introduction of the round goby, an invasive species, which now constitutes up to 90% of its diet.

The common water snake is common over most of its range and is frequently seen basking on stream banks, from which it dives into the water at the slightest disturbance. It is quick to flee from danger, but if cornered or captured, it usually will not hesitate to defend itself. Larger specimens can inflict a painful bite.

Reproduction

The common water snake mates from April through June. It is ovoviviparous (live-bearing), which means it does not lay eggs like many other snakes. Instead, the mother carries the eggs inside her body and gives birth to free living young, each one 19–23 cm (7.5–9.1 in) long. [17] A female may have as many as thirty young at a time, but the average is eight. They are born between August and October. Mothers do not care for their young; as soon as they are born, they are on their own.

Defense against predators

Nerodia sipedon has many predators, including birds, raccoons, opossums, foxes, snapping turtles, other snakes, and humans. The common water snake defends itself vigorously when threatened. If picked up by an animal, or person, it will bite repeatedly, as well as release excrement and musk. Its saliva contains a mild anticoagulant, which can cause the bite to bleed more but poses little risk to humans.

Habitats

Muskrat houses and beaver lodges are good places to find the common water snake, which likes to hide among the sticks and plant stems. N. sipedon lives near lakes, ponds, marshes, rivers, and canals; just about anywhere there is freshwater.[ citation needed ]

Conservation status

The Lake Erie water snake subspecies (Nerodia sipedon insularum), which occurs mainly on the lake's western islands offshore from Ohio and Ontario, recovered to the point where on August 16, 2011 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed it from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. The subspecies was first listed as threatened in 1999 after a decline due to eradication by humans, as well as habitat loss and degradation. When initially listed, the subspecies’ population had dropped to only 1,500 adults. Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for the snake included designation of 300 acres (121 hectares) of inland habitat and 11 miles (18 km) of shoreline for breeding grounds. The introduction of an invasive species, the Eurasian round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) into Lake Erie in the mid-1990s became a new food source for the Lake Erie water snake. By 2009, the population recovered to 11,980 snakes, safely exceeding the population minimum goal of 5,555 adult snakes required by the 2003 recovery plan. Monitoring will occur for 5 years following this delisting. The Lake Erie water snake is just the 23rd species or subspecies to be removed from the list due to recovery. [18]

Related Research Articles

<i>Agkistrodon piscivorus</i> Species of reptile

Agkistrodon piscivorus is a venomous snake, a species of pit viper in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. The species is endemic 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. Although its aggression has been exaggerated, individuals may bite when feeling threatened or being handled in any way. This is the world's only semiaquatic viper, usually found in or near water, particularly in slow-moving and shallow lakes, streams, and marshes. The snake is a strong swimmer and has even been seen swimming in the ocean. However, it is not fully marine, unlike true sea snakes. It has successfully colonized islands off both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

East Sister Island (Ontario) Sovereign Territory

East Sister Island is a 15 hectare island in Ontario, Canada, located within Lake Erie. It has no long-term human population and is maintained as a Provincial Nature Reserve.

<i>Nerodia</i> genus of reptiles

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.

<i>Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma</i> subspecies of reptile

Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma is a venomous snake that is endemic to the south central United States. A member of the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae, it is the smallest of the three subspecies of Agkistrodon piscivorus.

<i>Nerodia rhombifer</i> species of reptile

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.

<i>Nerodia erythrogaster</i> species of reptile

Nerodia erythrogaster, commonly known as the plain-bellied water snake or plainbelly water snake, is a familiar species of mostly aquatic, nonvenomous, colubrid snake endemic to the United States.

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.

Banded water snake species of reptile

The banded water snake or southern water snake is a species of mostly aquatic, nonvenomous, colubrid snake endemic to the central and southeastern United States.

<i>Nerodia clarkii</i> species of reptile

Nerodia clarkii, commonly known as the salt marsh snake, is a species of semiaquatic, nonvenomous, colubrid snake found in the southeastern United States, in the brackish salt marshes along the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Texas, with a population in northern Cuba.

Kirtlands snake species of reptile

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.

<i>Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta</i> subspecies of reptile

The copperbelly water snake or copperbelly is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snake endemic to the Central United States, which is listed as a threatened species.

Florida banded water snake subspecies of reptile

The Florida banded water snake, a subspecies of the banded water snake, is a nonvenomous natricine colubrid native to the southeastern United States.

Green water snake species of reptile

The green water snake is a common species of nonvenomous natricine snake endemic to the southeastern United States.

Brown water snake species of reptile

The brown water snake is a large species of nonvenomous natricine snake endemic to the southeastern United States.

<i>Nerodia sipedon pleuralis</i> subspecies of reptile

The midland water snake, a subspecies of the northern water snake, is a nonvenomous natricine snake, which is endemic to North America.

<i>Nerodia floridana</i> species of reptile

Nerodia floridana, commonly known as the Florida green watersnake, is a harmless North American species of water snakes in the family Colubridae.

References

  1. Hammerson GA (2007). "Nerodia sipedon ". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2007: e.T62239A12583567. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2007.RLTS.T62239A12583567.en .
  2. 1 2 Nerodia sipedon . The Reptile Database. www.reptiledatabase.org.
  3. Stejneger L, Barbour T (1917). A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. 125 pp. (Natrix sipedon, p. 96).
  4. Moriarty, John J., ed. (September 2017). "Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding" (PDF). Herpetological Circular (8th ed.). Shoreview, MN, USA: Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles. 43: 72. ISBN   978-1-9466-8100-3 . Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  5. Wright AH, Wright AA (1957).
  6. Northern water snake, Canadian Biodiversity.
  7. Weatherhead, Patrick J.; Barry, Frances E.; Brown, Gregory P.; Forbes, Mark R. L. (1995). "Sex ratios, mating behavior and sexual size dimorphism of the common water snake, Nerodia sipedon ". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 36 (5): 301–311. doi:10.1007/BF00167791.
  8. Jellen, Benjamin C.; Aldridge, Robert D. (2014). "It takes two to tango: Female movement facilitates male mate location in wild common water snakes (Nerodia sipedon)". Behaviour. 151 (4): 421–434. doi:10.1163/1568539X-00003128.
  9. Brown, Gregory P.; Weatherhead, Patrick J. (2000). "Thermal Ecology and Sexual Size Dimorphism in Northern Water Snakes, Nerodia sipedon ". Ecological Monographs. 70 (2): 311–330. doi:10.1890/0012-9615(2000)070[0311:TEASSD]2.0.CO;2.
  10. Schulte-Hostedde AI, Montgomerie R (2006). "Intraspecific variation in ejaculate traits of the northern watersnake (Nerodia sipedon)". Journal of Zoology. 270 (1): 147–152. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00101.x.
  11. Brown, Gregory P.; Weatherhead, Patrick J. (1999). "Demography and sexual size dimorphism in northern water snakes, Nerodia sipedon ". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 77 (9): 1358–1366. doi:10.1139/z99-112.
  12. Weatherhead, Patrick J.; Brown, Gregory P. (1996). "Measurement versus estimation of condition in snakes". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 74 (9): 1617–1621. doi:10.1139/z96-179.
  13. King RB (2002). "Predicted and observed maximum prey size - snake size allometry". Functional Ecology. 16 (6): 766–772. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2435.2002.00678.x.
  14. http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/water_moccasin_watersnake_comparison.shtml%5B%5D
  15. Schmidt KP, Davis DD (1941). Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. 365 pp. (Natrix sipedon, pp. 219-222, Figure 22 (map) + Plate 24 on p. 344).
  16. Rose, Jonathan P.; Miano, Oliver J.; Todd, Brian D. (2013). "Trapping Efficiency, Demography, and Density of an Introduced population of Northern Watersnakes, Nerodia sipedon, in California" (PDF). Journal of Herpetology. 47 (3): 421–427. doi:10.1670/12-119.
  17. Conant R (1975). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. xviii + 429 pp. ISBN   0-395-19979-4 (hardcover), ISBN   0-395-19977-8 (paperback). (Natrix sipedon, pp. 144-146 + Plate 20 + Map 99).
  18. Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of the Lake Erie water snake (Nerodia sipedon insularum) From the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife (PDF) (Report). 2011-08-16. Retrieved 2011-09-03.

Further reading