Banded water snake

Banded water snake
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Natricinae
Genus: Nerodia
Species: N. fasciata
Binomial name
Nerodia fasciata
(Linnaeus, 1766)
Synonyms
A Nerodia fasciata attempting to prey on a parvalbumin-coated lure. Parvalbumin is involved in prey signaling.[5]

The banded water snake or southern water snake (Nerodia fasciata) is a species of mostly aquatic, nonvenomous, colubrid snake endemic to the central and southeastern United States.

Geographic range

It is found from Indiana, south to Louisiana and east to Florida.

Description

Adults of the banded water snake measures from 61 to 106.7 cm (24.0 to 42.0 in) in total length, with a record size (in the Florida subspecies) of 158.8 cm (62.5 in) in total length.[6] In one study of the species, the average body mass of adult snakes was 464.3 g (16.38 oz).[7]

It is typically gray, greenish-gray, or brown in color, with dark crossbanding. Many specimens are so dark in color that their patterning is barely discernible. They have flat heads, and are fairly heavy-bodied. If irritated, they release a foul-smelling musk to deter predators.

Their appearance leads them to be frequently mistaken for other snakes with which they share a habitat, including the less common, venomous cottonmouth.

Habitat

Nerodia fasciata inhabits most freshwater environments such as lakes, marshes, ponds, and streams.[3]

Diet

It preys mainly on fish and frogs.[8] Using its vomeronasal organ, also called Jacobson's organ, the snake can detect parvalbumins in the cutaneous mucus of its prey.[5]

Reproduction

The species is ovoviviparous, giving birth to live young. The brood size varies from 9 to 50. Newborns are 200–240 mm (about 8-9.5 in) in total length.[9]

Subspecies

The three recognized subspecies of Nerodia fasciata, including the nominotypical subspecies, are:[10]

Taxonomy

Some sources consider Nerodia clarkii compressicauda and Nerodia clarkii taeniata to be subspecies of Nerodia fasciata.[11] Also, some sources have considered Nerodia fasciata to be a subspecies of Nerodia sipedon.[2][9][12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Boulenger, G.A. 1893. Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History). Volume I., Containing the Families...Colubridæ Aglyphæ, part. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History). (Taylor and Francis, Printers). London. xiii + 448 pp. + Plates I.- XXVIII. (Tropidonotus fasciatus, pp. 242-244.)
  2. 1 2 Stejneger, L., and T. Barbour. 1917. A Check List of North American Amphibians and Reptiles. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts. 125 pp. (Natrix sipedon fasciata, p. 96.)
  3. 1 2 Conant, R. 1975. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Second Edition. Houghton Mifflin. Boston. xviii + 429 pp. ISBN 0-395-19977-8 (paperback). (Natrix fasciata fasciata, p. 146 + Plate 20 + Map 100.)
  4. ↑ Smith, H.M., and E.D. Brodie, Jr. 1982 Reptiles of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. Golden Press. New York. 240 pp. ISBN 0-307-13666-3 (paperback). (Nerodia fasciata, pp. 156-157.)
  5. 1 2 Smargiassi, M. T.; Daghfous, G.; Leroy, B.; Legreneur, P.; Toubeau, G.; Bels, V.; Wattiez, R. (2012). Permyakov, Eugene A, ed. "Chemical Basis of Prey Recognition in Thamnophiine Snakes: The Unexpected New Roles of Parvalbumins". PLoS ONE. 7 (6): e39560. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0039560. PMC 3384659Freely accessible. PMID 22761824.
  6. ↑
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ Conant, R., and W. Bridges. 1939. What Snake Is That? A Field Guide to the Snakes of the United States East of the Rocky Mountains. D. Appleton-Century. New York and London. Frontispiece map + viii + 163 pp. + Plates A-C, 1-32. (Natrix sipedon fasciata, p. 103 + Plate 18, Figure 53.)
  9. 1 2 Wright, A.H., and A.A. Wright. 1957. Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Comstock. Ithaca and London. 1,105 pp. (in 2 volumes) (Natrix sipedon fasciata, pp. 525-529, Figure 156.)
  10. ↑ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
  11. ↑ ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
  12. ↑ Schmidt, K.P., and D.D. Davis. 1941. Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada. G.P. Putnam's Sons. New York. 365 pp. (Natrix sipedon fasciata, pp. 221-222, Figure 72. + Plate 24, Center, on p. 344.)

External links

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Further reading

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