Copperbelly Watersnake
Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta
Size
40–50 in
Status
Endangered
Venomous
No
Region
S & NE Indiana
A large, harmless water snake with a striking orange-red belly, and one of Indiana's most imperiled reptiles. Federally protected in the northern part of its range.
Identification
A dark, plain-backed water snake — slate gray to black above — with an unmarked bright orange to red belly. Adults reach 3.5–4 feet. The solid dark back and vivid belly separate it from Indiana's banded water snakes.
Habitat & Diet
Depends on complexes of shallow wetlands, swamps, and floodplain pools connected by woodland, moving overland between them seasonally. It feeds heavily on frogs, tadpoles, and other amphibians.
Conservation in Indiana
State Endangered in Indiana, and the northern population is Federally Threatened. It is highly sensitive to wetland drainage and habitat fragmentation; protecting connected wetland complexes is essential.
Similar Species & Taxonomy
A plain dark watersnake with an unmarked orange-red belly, told from the Mudsnake by lacking belly bars and from the cottonmouth by its round pupils and lack of a facial pit. A watersnake (family Colubridae; watersnakes and their kin are often split into the family Natricidae), formerly in the genus Natrix. The Ohio-valley Copperbelly, long called Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta, is now treated within the Plain-bellied Watersnake rather than as a distinct subspecies.
United States Range Map Distribution
Distribution in Indiana
