Nerodia erythrogaster
Encyclopedia
The plain-bellied water snake or plainbelly water snake (Nerodia erythrogaster) is a common species
of mostly aquatic, nonvenomous, colubrid
snake
found in the United States
.
, from Michigan
to Delaware
in the north, and Texas
to northern Florida
in the south, but it is absent from the Florida peninsula and the higher elevations of the Appalachian Mountains
. They are almost always found near a permanent water source, a lake, stream, pond or other slow moving body.
.
), like other North American water snakes
and garter snake
s. In North Carolina
and Georgia
, the plain-bellied water snake breeds from April to June, and broods of 5-27 young are born in August to October.
of N. erythrogaster:
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of mostly aquatic, nonvenomous, colubrid
Colubrid
A colubrid is a member of the snake family Colubridae. This broad classification of snakes includes about two-thirds of all snake species on earth. The earliest species of the snake family date back to the Oligocene epoch. With 304 genera and 1,938 species, Colubridae is the largest snake family...
snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
found in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Range and habitat
This species ranges through much of the southeastern United StatesSoutheastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
, from Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
to Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
in the north, and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
to northern Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in the south, but it is absent from the Florida peninsula and the higher elevations of the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
. They are almost always found near a permanent water source, a lake, stream, pond or other slow moving body.
Description
Adults are 24-40 inches (76-122 cm) long. It gets its common name because it has no patterning on its underside. Species can vary in color from brown, to grey, to olive green, with dark colored blotching down their back, and an underside that is yellow, brown, red or green. It is quick to vigorously defend itself by biting repeatedly and its mouth has a white interior, resulting in it being misidentified frequently as the venomous cottonmouthCottonmouth
Cottonmouth may refer to:Snakes* Agkistrodon piscivorus, a.k.a. the water moccasin, a venomous and semiaquatic pitviper found in the US* Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen, a.k.a...
.
Reproduction
This species bears live young (ovoviviparousOvoviviparity
Ovoviviparity, ovovivipary, or ovivipary, is a mode of reproduction in animals in which embryos develop inside eggs that are retained within the mother's body until they are ready to hatch...
), like other North American water snakes
Nerodia
Nerodia is a genus of nonvenomous colubrid snakes commonly referred to as water snakes.- Description :Nerodia species vary greatly, but all are relatively heavy-bodied snakes, sometimes growing to 1.2 m or larger. They have flattened heads, with small eyes that have round pupils, and keeled...
and garter snake
Garter snake
The Garter snake is a Colubrid snake genus common across North America, ranging from Alaska and Canada to Central America. It is the single most widely distributed genus of reptile in North America. The garter snake is also the Massachusettsstate reptile.There is no real consensus on the...
s. In North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, the plain-bellied water snake breeds from April to June, and broods of 5-27 young are born in August to October.
Subspecies
There are six recognized subspeciesSubspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
of N. erythrogaster:
- plainbelly water snake, Nerodia erythrogaster alta (ConantRoger Conant (herpetologist)Roger Conant was an American herpetologist, author, educator and conservationist. He was Director Emeritus of the Philadelphia Zoo and Adjunct Professor at the University of New Mexico...
, 1963) - Bogert's water snake, Nerodia erythrogaster bogerti (ConantRoger Conant (herpetologist)Roger Conant was an American herpetologist, author, educator and conservationist. He was Director Emeritus of the Philadelphia Zoo and Adjunct Professor at the University of New Mexico...
, 1953) - redbelly water snake, Nerodia erythrogaster erythrogaster (ForsterJohann Reinhold ForsterJohann Reinhold Forster was a German Lutheran pastor and naturalist of partial Scottish descent who made contributions to the early ornithology of Europe and North America...
, 1771) - yellowbelly water snake, Nerodia erythrogaster flavigaster (ConantRoger Conant (herpetologist)Roger Conant was an American herpetologist, author, educator and conservationist. He was Director Emeritus of the Philadelphia Zoo and Adjunct Professor at the University of New Mexico...
, 1949) - copperbelly water snake, Nerodia erythrogaster neglectaNerodia erythrogaster neglectaThe Copperbelly Water Snake is listed as a threatened species.-Appearance:Copperbelly water snakes have a solid dark back with a bright orange-red belly. They grow to long. They are not poisonous....
(ConantRoger Conant (herpetologist)Roger Conant was an American herpetologist, author, educator and conservationist. He was Director Emeritus of the Philadelphia Zoo and Adjunct Professor at the University of New Mexico...
, 1949) - blotched water snake, Nerodia erythrogaster transversa (Hallowell, 1852)