Brown Watersnake

Nerodia taxispilota

The Brown Watersnake is a friendly snake that loves to swim in rivers and lakes. It has a beautiful brown color with dark stripes, which helps it blend in with the water and plants.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Brown Watersnake is a robust snake, typically brown to tan with large, dark brown square blotches that often form an irregular checkered pattern down its back and sides. Its scales are keeled, giving it a rough appearance, and its head is relatively small compared to its thick body.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassSquamataOrderSerpentesFamilyColubridaeGenusNerodia

Brown Watersnake

Interesting facts

Brown Watersnakes give birth to live young, not eggs, usually between 10 and 60 babies!

Despite their name, they are non-venomous and generally harmless to humans!

These snakes are often mistaken for venomous Cottonmouths, but they are very different!

They can climb into low-hanging branches above water, sometimes even basking in trees!

Special abilities

Brown Watersnakes have intricate patterns that help them blend perfectly into muddy or leafy watery habitats.

Brown Watersnakes can release a stinky, musky fluid when scared, making predators think twice about bothering them.

Measurements & details

Length: 75-155 cm
Weight: 0.2-1.5 kg
Lifespan: 7-12 years
Top Speed: 5 km/h
Swim Speed: 6 km/h
Clutch Size: 10-60
Maximum Depth: 3 m

Diet & Feeding

These snakes are expert hunters, mainly feasting on fish and frogs they catch in the water.

Primary Foods

Sunfish
Minnows
Catfish
Frogs
Salamanders

Foraging Method

Ambush

Ecological connections

eats

Bluegill

Lepomis macrochirus

Main food source in many habitats.

eats

Southern Leopard Frog

Rana sphenocephala

Preys on frogs found near water's edge.

eaten by

American Alligator

Alligator mississippiensis

A significant predator in shared habitats.

eaten by

Largemouth Bass

Micropterus salmoides

Large fish may prey on young snakes.

Traits

Striped

Marked with parallel bands or lines of color.

Solitary

Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.

Camouflaged

Camouflaged describes organisms that possess coloring or patterns that allow them to blend into their environment.

Piscivorous

Piscivorous organisms are animals that primarily subsist on a diet of fish.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.