Florida Green Water Snake
(Nerodia floridana)
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Florida Green Water Snake (Nerodia floridana) |
Color Photograph: U.S. Geological Survey
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Nerodia cyclopion The range of the Mississippi Green Water Snake barely overlaps that of the Florida Water Snake. The belly of the Mississippi Green Water Snake is dark with a series of light spots, but the belly of the Florida Green Water Snake is light and unmarked.
Agkistrodon piscivorus The Cottonmouth has a triangular head and opens its white mouth in a distinctive threat display when disturbed.
Nerodia erythrogaster The Plain-bellied Water Snake has a red to yellow belly.
Nerodia rhombifera The Diamondback Water Snake has a distinctive dorsal and lateral pattern.
Nerodia sipedon The Northern Water Snake has distinctive dorsal and lateral pattern. Florida Green Water Snake (Nerodia floridana) Identification: Snake 30 to 74 inches in length, heavy bodied with a large head. Dorsal and lateral surfaces of body without distinctive markings, at most dark speckling. Color olive-green, gray, or sometimes reddish. Belly unmarked, light. Underside of head shaded with green. An extra scale is present between the eye and scales of the upper lip. Young individuals are similar to the adults. Geographical Variation: None. Range (see map on left): This species occurs in coastal South Carolina, southern Georgia, all of Florida, and along the Gulf Coast to southern Alabama. Habitat: The Florida Green Water Snake is most commonly found in ponds, lakes, canals, and other still waters. Food: Frogs and their tadpoles, fish, and salamanders. Behavior: This species is primarily diurnal, but will also forage at night. Unlike the related Mississippi Green Water Snake, it does not appear to spend much time basking. Although the Florida Green Water Snake will bite if threatened, it seems more reluctant to bite than some other species of Nerodia. Reproduction: This species bears its young live and usually has 20 to 30 young, although the number can be much higher. Adults breed in the springs and young are born from June to September.
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Florida Green Water Snake (Nerodia floridana)
Similar Species: Mississippi Green Water Snake (Nerodia cyclopion) Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) Plain-bellied Water Snake (Nerodia erythrogaster) Diamondback Water Snake (Nerodia rhombifera) Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon) |
Similar Species |
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