Midland Watersnake
Nerodia sipedon pleuralis
Size
25–40 in
Status
Common
Venomous
No
Region
Southern Indiana
A harmless, banded water snake of southern Indiana streams and wetlands, and the southern counterpart of the Northern Watersnake. Frequently mistaken for a cottonmouth.
Identification
A thick water snake, brown to reddish with dark crossbands near the neck that break into alternating blotches toward the tail. The belly typically shows reddish or brown half-moon marks. Adults are 2–3.5 feet. It flattens its body and musks when handled.
Habitat & Diet
Lives along streams, rivers, ponds, and wetlands in southern Indiana, basking on banks and overhanging branches. It feeds on fish and amphibians.
Conservation in Indiana
Common in suitable southern waters. Harmless but defensive, it is too often killed out of fear of cottonmouths.
Similar Species & Taxonomy
Harmless but often killed as a cottonmouth, this watersnake has round pupils, no facial pit, and dark crossbands that break into blotches toward the tail; the Midland form has fewer, narrower bands. A watersnake (family Colubridae; watersnakes and their kin are often split into the family Natricidae), formerly in the genus Natrix. The Common Watersnake, Nerodia sipedon, has several subspecies; Indiana has the Midland and Northern watersnakes.
United States Range Map Distribution
Distribution in Indiana
