Northern Water Snake

Nerodia sipedon

Description:

I spotted this Northern Water Snake in the central wetlands area of Huntley Meadows Park. A total of four Northern Water Snakes were spotted by me today at the park. Two of them being very young. "The Northern water snake can grow up to 135 cm (4.4 ft) long.[2] They can be brown, gray, reddish, or brownish-black. They have dark crossbands on their necks and dark stripes and blotches on the rest of their bodies, often leading to misidentification as cottonmouths or copperheads by novices. They darken as they age. Some will become almost completely black. The belly of this snake also varies in color. It can be white, yellow, or gray. Usually it also has reddish or black crescents." Source Credit: Wikipedia