Water snake
Not venomous. Water snakes bite hard if grabbed and flatten their heads when scared, which is why they get killed as moccasins.
- Lives in
- 38 states
- Size
- 24–48 in
- Open US records
- 63,658
- Group
- Snake
How to identify it
- Round pupils
- No heat pit between eye and nostril
- Head often not much wider than the neck when relaxed
- Swims with only the head above water
Size: 24–48 in (total length). Habitat: Almost any lake, pond, creek or ditch in the eastern half of the country.
Also called Nerodia.
Where it lives
- Lives here
- Rare records
- Gone
- Not here
When it is out
Look-alikes
- Cottonmouth vs Water Snake Cottonmouth: dangerous
State by state
| State | Status | Open records | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | Lives here | 9,711 | 207 |
| Louisiana | Lives here | 7,290 | 62 |
| Florida | Lives here | 6,235 | 65 |
| Georgia | Lives here | 4,747 | 103 |
| Arkansas | Lives here | 4,645 | 54 |
| North Carolina | Lives here | 4,634 | 98 |
| Virginia | Lives here | 2,352 | 109 |
| Kansas | Lives here | 2,205 | 80 |
| Alabama | Lives here | 2,017 | 65 |
| Ohio | Lives here | 1,992 | 79 |
| Illinois | Lives here | 1,896 | 58 |
| Oklahoma | Lives here | 1,732 | 73 |
| Missouri | Lives here | 1,708 | 60 |
| New York | Lives here | 1,393 | 44 |
| South Carolina | Lives here | 1,272 | 36 |
| Michigan | Lives here | 1,066 | 66 |
| Indiana | Lives here | 1,064 | 77 |
| Pennsylvania | Lives here | 1,046 | 62 |
| Tennessee | Lives here | 994 | 68 |
| Mississippi | Lives here | 934 | 58 |
| Maryland | Lives here | 818 | 23 |
| Kentucky | Lives here | 640 | 46 |
| Wisconsin | Lives here | 509 | 29 |
| New Jersey | Lives here | 413 | 20 |
| Massachusetts | Lives here | 394 | 13 |
| West Virginia | Lives here | 315 | 47 |
| Connecticut | Lives here | 313 | 8 |
| Delaware | Lives here | 275 | 3 |
| Iowa | Lives here | 171 | 31 |
| Colorado | Lives here | 140 | 12 |
| Rhode Island | Lives here | 131 | 4 |
| Nebraska | Lives here | 129 | 28 |
| Arizona | Lives here | 120 | 2 |
| Minnesota | Lives here | 102 | 9 |
| New Hampshire | Lives here | 74 | 9 |
| Vermont | Lives here | 52 | 6 |
| Maine | Lives here | 49 | 12 |
| California | Lives here | 44 | 5 |
| New Mexico | Rare records | 26 | 2 |
| South Dakota | Rare records | 4 | 2 |
| Idaho | Rare records | 2 | 0 |
| Utah | Rare records | 2 | 0 |
| North Dakota | Rare records | 1 | 0 |
| Wyoming | Rare records | 1 | 0 |
States not listed have no open records and are outside the range.
Questions
Where does the water snake live?
In 38 states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Rare records also come from Idaho, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.
Is the water snake dangerous?
Harmless. Not venomous. Water snakes bite hard if grabbed and flatten their heads when scared, which is why they get killed as moccasins.
How do you identify a water snake?
Round pupils. No heat pit between eye and nostril. Head often not much wider than the neck when relaxed.
When is the water snake most active?
Most open US records fall in May to June, August to September.