The Banded Water Snake is a species of aquatic snake that is native to much of the Southern parts of the United States.
Because of its geographical range, this species is often referred to as the Southern Water Snake.
These snakes typically grow to around 2-3 feet in length but they can get a little bit bigger than this.
Banded Water Snake Taxonomy
In the Animal Kingdom, Taxonomy is used as the science and practice of classifying different species and sub-species based on their biological and genetic makeup.
Family
The Banded Water Snake belongs to the Colubridae or Colubrid family of snakes. This is the largest family of Snakes in the world consisting of many popular species such as Pine Snakes and Milk Snakes.
With around 250 different genera of Colubrids, these snakes can be found on every continent except Antarctica which also makes them the most widely distributed family of snake in the world.
The vast majority of Colubrid snakes are non-venomous, or at least contain a venom that isn’t considered to be medically significant to humans.
However, there are a number of species of Colubrid snakes that contain venom capable of killing humans. This includes species from the Boiga and Rhabdophis genera as well as other snakes such as the Boomslang.
Genus
The genus that the Banded Water Snake belongs to is called Nerodia. This genus contains nine species of Water Snakes that are all native to North America.
Some of the other species in this genus include the Green Water Snake, the Plainbelly Water Snake and the Common Water Snake.
Species
The scientific name for the Banded Water Snake is Nerodia fasciata and there are currently three recognised sub-species.
The sub-species are:
The Southern Banded Water Snake (Nerodia fasciata fasciata)
The Broad-Banded Water Snake (Nerodia fasciata confluens)
The Florida Water Snake (Nerodia fasciata pictiventris)
This species was first described in 1766 by a Swedish taxonomist named Carl Linnaeus.
Banded Water Snake Description
The Banded Water Snake typically grows to between 2-3 feet in length but can reach lengths of up to 4 feet on occasion.
The largest recorded specimen of this species measured over 5 feet in length.
They can vary in color but are usually some shades of grey or brown, but can also be greenish or even reddish on occasion.
The background color of the snake is overlaid with darker colored crossbands. This is where the snake gets its common name, the Banded Water Snake.
On very dark snakes this banding can be difficult to see. The belly of these snakes is typically white or off-white in color.
A distinguishing feature of these snakes is a dark stripe that extends from the eye to the side of the snakes’ jaw.
The different sub-species of Banded Water Snake can be distinguished by their color, patterns and number of ventral scales.
Natural Habitat and Distribution
The Banded Water Snake can be found throughout much of the South-Eastern parts of the United States.
They share some of their geographical range with species such as the Mud Snake, the Brahminy Blind Snake, the American Alligator and the Cottonmouth.
In the Western part of their range, this snake can be found in places such as Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri.
Their range extends along the Gulf Coast Eastwards through places such as Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and throughout Florida.
Further North, they can be found in States such as South Carolina and North Carolina with specimens also present in parts of Western Tennessee.
The different sub-species of Banded Water Snakes can be found in their own individual geographical range.
The The Southern Banded Water Snake (Nerodia fasciata fasciata) can be found in places such as Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and parts of Northern Florida.
The Florida Water Snake (Nerodia fasciata pictiventris), as its name suggests, can be found throughout most of Florida.
The Broad-Banded Water Snake (Nerodia fasciata confluens) can be found in places such as Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Missouri.
These snakes like to live in and around fresh water sources such as lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, swamps and marshes.
Banded Water Snake Behaviour
The Banded Water Snake will spend the vast amount of their time in the water or basking on overhanging logs.
These snakes are never found too far from their fresh water source and will typically stay close to the banks of the water.
They are known for using the sidewinder technique when moving on land, which is interesting to watch.
