Diamond-backed Watersnake
Nerodia rhombifer
Size
40–50 in
Status
Loc. abundant
Venomous
No
Region
SW Indiana
A large, heavy water snake of southern rivers and backwaters, harmless but often mistaken for a cottonmouth. Locally abundant where it occurs.
Identification
A bulky brown to olive water snake with a net-like or diamond-shaped dark pattern down the back and dark blotches along the sides. Adults reach 3.5–4.5 feet. The belly is yellowish with dark markings. It basks on branches over water and drops in when disturbed.
Habitat & Diet
Lives in rivers, oxbows, sloughs, and reservoirs in southwestern Indiana. It feeds mainly on fish and amphibians, often foraging with its mouth open in shallow water.
Conservation in Indiana
Locally abundant in suitable southern waters. Like all water snakes it is harmless, though it will bite defensively and musk if grabbed.
Similar Species & Taxonomy
The heaviest Indiana watersnake, with a netlike pattern of dark chainlike markings enclosing lighter centers; harmless, with round pupils and no facial pit, though often mistaken for a cottonmouth. A watersnake (family Colubridae; watersnakes and their kin are often split into the family Natricidae), formerly in the genus Natrix. Indiana's animals are the Northern Diamond-backed Watersnake.
United States Range Map Distribution
Distribution in Indiana
