Broad-banded Water Snake
Nerodia fasciata confluens
Broad-banded Water Snake 2
Broad-banded Water Snakes are the most common water snakes at the Arboretum, and may be the most commonly seen Arboretum snake species in general. These highly aquatic, heavy-bodied snakes are often mistaken for Cottonmouths ("water moccasins"). However, while water snakes will flatten their heads and bite aggressively if handled, they are not venomous. They are surprisingly graceful swimmers, keeping their bodies mostly submerged (Cottonmouths are clumsy swimmers and hold their bodies mostly out of the water). Broad-banded Water Snakes have highly variable colors, from dull browns and blacks to bright oranges and reds, but all have a pattern of irregular blotches or bands (Texas Coral Snakes have straight-edged bands in brilliant red, black, and yellow, and they rarely swim or spend time near water). Look closely and you will see the Broad-banded Water Snake's scales are strongly ridged, giving them a rough texture. They mainly eat aquatic prey like frogs and fish.
Sources and Credits
- (c) hancnaturalist, all rights reserved, uploaded by hancnaturalist
- Adapted by hancnaturalist from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerodia_fasciata
More Info
iNat Map
| Pattern | bands |
|---|---|
| Color | black, brown, orange, red, yellow |
| Texture | rough |
