Northern Watersnake

Description:

The Northern Watersnake is born feisty and just gets worse with age. This is of course an anthropocentric perception, but for just about any herpetologist that has ever attempted to catch one, tiny scars serve as a testament of the snake's temperament. Bites from this snake are not overly painful, but its habit of multiple strikes and the wound's tendency to bleed profusely (owing to anticoagulant properties in the saliva) make encounters memorably unpleasant. In truth, the perceived nastiness makes the Northern Watersnake even more interesting. The most commonly seen large snake in Canada, it is a superb hunter of wetland margins, gracefully undulating through waters and even diving down to depths of three metres (10 feet) in pursuit of fishes. When not actively hunting, this mud-coloured snake can be found basking on waterside logs or rocks, metabolizing it's meal. Meanness is reserved for threats and meals only, as these snakes bask and hibernate peacefully in groups. It is too frequently killid by those who try to pick up the grumpy snake or who mistake its identity-the Norhtern Watersnake is often thought to be a Water Moccasin, a venoumous species that does not even occur in Canada.

Habitat:

Edges of freshwater lakes, marshes, swamps and slow-moving streams; strongly tied to water. Distribution: South of Lake Superior in Ontario, Canada and southern Quebec.

Notes:

Length-60cm-1.4m (2-5 feet). Breeds in aggregations shortly after emerging from hibernation; female breeds with multiple partners-consequently not all of the young have the same father; females give birth to 15-50 young in August or September; sexual maturity is reached in 3-4 years.