Black swampsnake Black Swamp Snake | credit: Peter Paplanus | Flickr | CC BY 2.0 Like other watersnakes, they can be easily confused for a cottonmouth.ĥ. They don’t constrict their prey, but rather overpower it with their jaws and swallow it hole, and alive. They prefer calm, shallow water with lots of vegetation like ponds and swamps.įish and frogs are their favorite foods. These snakes have a greenish-brown coloring with no distinctive markings except some light speckling on the back. You may also like: Why Do Snakes Yawn? (The 4 MAIN Reasons) Mississippi Green watersnake Mississippi Green Water Snake | Greg Schechter | Flickr | CC BY 2.0 Like most watersnakes it prefers to live near freshwater, especially swamps and streams.Ĥ. It also has a distinctly narrow neck, which gives the impression of a wide head, which is a common feature of venomous species. Like the venomous cottonmouth, the brown watersnake has a thick, heavy body and dark brown to black coloring. Of all the species of watersnake, this is the one that most closely resembles the cottonmouth. Brown watersnake photo by Sabrina Setaro via Flickr | CC BY 2.0 There is, in fact, some disagreement about whether this is a distinct subspecies of watersnake or just a separate population of the banded watersnake.ģ. They also have similar behavior, and similar habitat. Even for experts, distinguishing between these species in the field is difficult. The two are often confused with each other, and for the lay person it would probably be impossible to tell them apart. Scientific name: Nerodia fasciata fasciataĬlosely related to the Florida banded watersnake, the southern watersnake has slightly different coloration.Southern watersnake Southern Water Snake | NC Wetlands Essentially, it’s trying to make you think it’s a much more dangerous animal than it really is.Ģ. In these instances, the snake is using its similarity to the cottonmouth to its advantage. However, it can be an aggressive species, sometimes charging at people when it feels threatened. It’s very similar in appearance to the cottonmouth, but it is non-venomous and harmless. One of the most common species of watersnake in the state, the Florida banded watersnake can be found throughout Florida. Scientific name: Nerodia fasciata pictiventris.
Florida banded watersnake image by Trish Hartmann via Flickr | CC BY 2.0
Having said that, let’s have a look at Florida’s water snakes! 12 types of water snakes in Floridaġ2 common types of aquatic snakes in Florida are the Florida banded watersnake, the southern watersnake, the brown watersnake, the Mississippi green watersnake, the black swampsnake, the cottonmouth, the glossy swampsnake, the midland watersnake, the plain-bellied watersnake, the rainbow snake, the striped swampsnake and the Florida green water snake. We’ll also include some other semi-aquatic snake species found in Florida and show you a picture for each species to help you identify them. This article will cover some of the most common water snakes you might encounter in Florida. However, many of them intentionally mimic dangerous, venomous snakes like cottonmouths, so it’s good to be able to identify them. These snakes have adapted to an aquatic or semi aquatic lifestyle, and all are non-venomous. This is usually referring to the Genus Nerodia. Water snakes refers to a certain type of snake that prefer to live in or near the water. So in this article we’re going to learn a little about the water snakes in Florida. Between the climate, the vast wetlands in the Everglades, and the extensive networks of creeks, rivers, and lakes throughout the state, it’s an especially appealing place for water snakes. Florida is a reptilian paradise, with warm, humid weather all year long.
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