Banded Watersnake

Nerodia fasciata

The Banded Watersnake is a friendly snake that loves to swim in water! It has beautiful stripes that help it blend in with its surroundings, making it a great swimmer and a fun creature to spot.

Lebensraum: Wetlands

Aussehen

The Banded Watersnake has a thick body with distinct dark crossbands (brown, reddish-brown, or black) on a lighter background (tan, gray, or yellow). Its bands are usually wider in the middle of its back. It also has a dark stripe running from its eye to the corner of its jaw.

ReichAnimaliaStammChordataKlasseSquamataOrdnungSerpentesFamilieColubridaeGattungNerodia

Banded Watersnake

Kategorie

Reptilien

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

2/5 · Gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Female watersnakes can have up to 50 live babies at once! Wow!

Many people mistake them for venomous cottonmouths, but they are harmless!

They're like submarine hunters, catching fish underwater!

When scared, they might release a smelly musk to warn you off.

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Banded Watersnake can hunt for fish and frogs underwater because it is an excellent swimmer and can hold its breath for extended periods.

Banded Watersnake has patterned crossbands that help them blend into the muddy, reedy banks and mucky water of their habitat, hiding from predators and prey.

Banded Watersnake can give birth to live baby snakes, called neonates, which are ready to swim and hunt on their own right away.

Banded Watersnake can flatten its body and head when threatened, making itself look larger and more intimidating to scare away potential attackers.

Maße und Details

Länge: 60-150 cm
Gewicht: 0.2-2 kg
Lebenserwartung: 5-10 Jahre
Top Speed: 3 km/h
Schwimmgeschwindigkeit: 5 km/h
Gelegegröße: 10-50
Maximale Tiefe: 8 m

Ernährung und Fütterung

These aquatic snakes are expert hunters, mainly eating fish, frogs, and salamanders from freshwater habitats.

Altersunterschiede: Young snakes eat smaller versions of adult prey, such as small fish and tadpoles.

Hauptnahrung

fish
frogs
salamanders
tadpoles
crayfish

Nahrungssuche

Pursuit

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

hunts

Eastern Mosquitofish

Gambusia holbrooki

A common food source in southern waterways.

hunts

Southern Leopard Frog

Lithobates sphenocephalus

Often ambushed near the water's edge or caught swimming.

eaten by

American Alligator

Alligator mississippiensis

Large alligators are predators of juvenile and adult watersnakes.

eaten by

Raccoon

Procyon lotor

Predates on watersnakes encountered near water bodies.

Merkmale

Gestreift

Gekennzeichnet durch parallele Farbstreifen oder -linien.

Einzelgänger

Einzelgänger leben den größten Teil ihres Lebens allein und interagieren mit Artgenossen nur zur Paarung oder zur Aufzucht der Jungen.

Fischfressend

Fischfressende Organismen sind Tiere, die sich hauptsächlich von Fisch ernähren.

Getarnt

Getarnt beschreibt Organismen, die über eine Färbung oder Musterung verfügen, durch die sie mit ihrer Umgebung verschmelzen.

Feuchtgebiet

Dieses Lebensraummerkmal kennzeichnet Arten, die in Feuchtgebieten vorkommen. Dies sind Landflächen, die dauerhaft oder saisonal mit Wasser gesättigt sind, darunter Marschland, Sümpfe und Moore.