Snake
Posted by Tracey Jones on May 30, 2007
Q: i need help identifying this snake. There are other photos of snakes on my website I am not sure about. This one was in the water (very small pond) in our very busy botanical gardens. The Botanical Gardens are surrounded by woods and water.
Habitat: pond/lake
State: Virginia
Habitat: pond/lake
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A: Very nice photos! I'm quite sure your snake is a Northern Water Snake (Narodia sipedon)although this species does often look much like the Cottonmouth. The Cottonmouth tends to be a more sluggish snake and not as skittish as water snakes. The Northern Water Snake is a very common snake in Virginia that gets rather thick-bodied and large (24-42")and comes in a wide variety of patterns/colors. Water snakes feed on fish, salamanders, frogs, and crayfish and seem to prefer quiet bodies of water if available. Your small pond is probably a nice feeding location for this animal.
Hope this helps you out. Thanks for asking.
John Wiessinger ( May 30, 2007)