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.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

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.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassSquamataOrderSerpentesFamilyColubridaeGenusNatrix

Tessellated Water Snake

Interesting facts

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!

Special abilities

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.

Measurements & details

Length: 50-130 cm
Weight: 0.2-1.5 kg
Lifespan: 8-15 years
Swim Speed: 7 km/h
Clutch Size: 5-30
Incubation: 30-70 days

Diet & Feeding

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

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

Primary Foods

fish
frogs
newts
tadpoles

Foraging Method

Ambush

Ecological connections

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.

Traits

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.