Tessellated Water Snake

Natrix tessellata

The Tessellated Water Snake is a smooth, non-venomous snake that loves to swim! It has beautiful patterns that help it blend in with the water and plants around it.

Lebensraum: Wetlands

Aussehen

The Tessellated Water Snake has a slender body, typically grey, olive, or brownish, marked with a distinctive checkerboard-like pattern of dark, square spots. Its underside is usually yellowish with scattered dark blotches. This unique pattern helps it camouflage in rocky riverbeds.

ReichAnimaliaStammChordataKlasseSquamataOrdnungSerpentesFamilieColubridaeGattungNatrix

Tessellated Water Snake

Kategorie

Reptilien

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Female water snakes are often much larger than males.

These snakes can shed their skin several times a year.

They sometimes bask on tree branches overhanging water.

They're non-venomous, making them harmless to humans!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Tessellated Water Snake can release a smelly musk because of glands near its tail that deters predators when it feels threatened.

Tessellated Water Snake has a special ability to play dead (thanatosis) that helps them trick predators into thinking they are no longer a threat.

Tessellated Water Snake has a streamlined body and powerful tail that helps them swim quickly through water to catch agile fish.

Maße und Details

Länge: 50-130 cm
Gewicht: 0.2-1.5 kg
Lebenserwartung: 8-15 Jahre
Schwimmgeschwindigkeit: 7 km/h
Gelegegröße: 5-30
Brutzeit: 30-70 Tage

Ernährung und Fütterung

This snake is a skilled underwater hunter, mostly eating fish but also enjoying frogs!

Altersunterschiede: Young snakes tend to eat smaller prey like tadpoles and very small fish.

Hauptnahrung

fish
frogs
newts
tadpoles

Nahrungssuche

Ambush

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

hunts

Gudgeon

Gobio gobio

A common small fish preyed upon by the snake.

hunts

European perch

Perca fluviatilis

Another fish species that the water snake commonly hunts.

eaten by

Western Marsh Harrier

Circus aeruginosus

A bird of prey that can hunt these snakes.

eaten by

European Otter

Lutra lutra

An aquatic mammal that preys on water snakes.

eaten by

Grey Heron

Ardea cinerea

A large wading bird that can catch and eat snakes.

Merkmale

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.