 Range Introduction in California: Red
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Introduced: not native to California.
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Adult, Sacramento County. © Gary Nafis. Specimen courtesy of Eric Stitt |
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Adult, Sacramento County |
Two adults breeding on top of
a log in a pond in Sacramento County
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Habitat, Sacramento County
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Description |
Nonvenomous |
| Considered harmless to humans, but the snake's saliva may produce inflammatory reactions around the site of a bite. |
| Size |
| Adults are generally 22 - 40 inches long (56 - 101 cm) and up to 60 inches (152 cm.) |
| Appearance |
| A dark, heavy-bodied snake with heavily-keeled scales. Yellowish to reddish-gray with 40 or more dark crossbands. Juveniles are paler with a stronger pattern than adults. Old snakes may be almost entirely solid dark brown. There is a dark stripe extending from the eye to the corner of the mouth. |
| Behavior |
| Active during the day, and also at night. If threatened, may emit a strong-smelling musk and feces from its cloaca, flatten its body and strike repeatedly. Basks in the sun at water's edge on logs or overhanging limbs, moving into dens along banks in cold weather. Will leave the water and travel overland a mile or more in search of food. |
| Diet |
| Eats fish, frogs, salamanders, crayfish. |
| Reproduction |
| Live-bearing. |
| Range |
| Introduced in and around Lake Natoma in the city of Folsom, Sacramento County. |
| Habitat |
| Occurs in and around permanent bodies of water, especially those bordered by woods. |
| Conservation Issues (Conservation Status) |
| Spread of this snake downstream into the Sacramento Valley could possibly threaten populations of the already endangered Giant Gartersnake, Thamnophis gigas. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Colubridae |
Colubrids |
| Genus |
Nerodia |
American Watersnakes |
| Species |
fasciata |
Southern Watersnake |
Subspecies
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not known |
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Original Description |
Nerodia fasciata - (Linnaeus, 1766) - Syst. Nat., 12th ed., Vol. 1, p. 378
from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Nerodia - Greek - nereis - name of sea nymph
fasciata - Latin - banded - refers to the banded pattern on dorsum
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Alternate Names |
Southern Water Snake
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Related or Similar California Snakes |
T. s. fitchi - Valley Gartersnake
T. gigas - Giant Gartersnake
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
The Southern Watersnake (Nerodia fasciata) in Folsolm California (PDF)
Balfour, P. S., and E. W. Stitt. 2002. Geographic distribution: Nerodia fasciata fasciata. Herpetological Review 33:150.
Conant, Roger, & Collins, Joseph T. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians Eastern and Central North America Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998.
Bartlett, R.D., & Alan Tennant. Snakes of North America - Eastern and Central Regions. Gulf Publishing Co., 2000.
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The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by the California Department of Fish and Game.
This non-native snake is not listed on the Special Animals List.
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Organization
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Status Listing
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| U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
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| California Endangered Species Act (CESA) |
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| California Department of Fish and Game |
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| Bureau of Land Management |
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| USDA Forest Service |
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| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
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World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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Range Introduction in California: Red 
