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Northern Water Snake
Nerodia sipedon
38.0081, -92.7446
Field Notes
Description:
Northern Water Snakes can grow up to 4.4 feet long and are nonvenomous. Color may be brown, gray, reddish, or brownish-black.They have dark crossbands on their necks and dark stripes and blotches on the rest of their bodies, often leading to misidentification as cottonmouths or copperheads by novices. They darken as they age. Some will become almost completely black. The belly of this snake also varies in color. It can be white, yellow, or gray. Usually it also has reddish or black crescents.
Habitat:
Muskrat houses and beaver lodges are good places to find water snakes, which like to hide among the sticks and plant stems. They live near lakes, ponds, marshes, rivers, and canals; just about anywhere there is freshwater. They are native to North America.
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