Georgia's Reptiles and Amphibians

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Midland Water Snake

Nerodia sipedon pleuralis

NON-VENOMOUS

Adult Midland Water Snake
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Found in Cobb County, Ga

Description:

The Midland Snake (Nerodia sipedon pleuralis) is a heavy bodied aquatic snake which can be commonly confused with the venomous Cottonmouth/Water Moccasin (Agkistrodon piscivorus). This snake has a highly variable color pattern. Most have a light brown to grey background color and have dark brown to black blotches/bands on their backs. Also on the side of the snake there are square blotches. The average length for this snake is 2-4ft long, and the record is just over 5ft long. The juveniles are usually lighter than the adults but will darken with age.

 

Habitat:

The Midland Water Snake can be found in any aquatic habitat in their range which includes swamps, on the edges on ponds which they are found basking on tree over hanging, lakes, marshes, on edges of rivers and streams, even on a few barrier islands.

 

Prey:

The Midland Water Snake mostly feeds on fish, frogs, and salamanders.

 

Abundance and Behavior

The Midland Water Snake is one of the most common aquatic snakes found in the Southeast. They can be found at any aquatic habitat which has a good population of fish and amphibians. The Midland Water Snake is for the most part nocturnal (comes out during the night) but they can be found during the day sunning themselves in braches overhanging bodies of water and also on rocks. They can be easily confused with the Cottonmouth/Water Moccasin (Agkistrodon piscivorus) because of several reasons. First off they are both heavy body snakes that live in the same habitats. Also when disturbed the water snake will make its head as triangular as possible, open its mouth, and strike repeatedly. Most of the time though they will try to get in the closest body of water and disappear under rocks and mud. If in a tree branch the water snake will dive immediately into the water and swim away.

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Live and Let Live

All photos are taken by myself unless noted otherwise. All photos are Copyright 2005-2006. If you would like to use any of my photos just email me and I will be happy to let anyone use them.

 

Need Help Identifing a Snake In your area? First though look through the photos of the snakes and if still have questions email me at timberrattlesnake89@gmail.com and I will take a look at it. And most likely be able to get you a correct anwser. Also please do not send me pictures of snakes that have been choped up into pieces. This really distresses me and I have gotten several emails where there were people who showed me pictures of snakes that they killed and all have turned out to be non-venomous.

 

Never Pick Up, Handle, or Try To Kill Any Venomous Snakes! Most Bites Occur That Way! Never Pick Up A Snake That You Are Uncertain About!

 

Disclaimer!!! Please do not do anything you see me do on this website. Some of these animals are very dangerous and I understand the risk of working with them. The bite from some of these animals can easily kill me or do extreme harm. If you do want to get into venomous herpeculture please do as much research as possible about them before considering working with them. Also I would suggest getting proper training from professional before working with them too. I do not accept any responsibility for anyone elses actions.