Family: Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes view all from this family
Description 30-50" (76.2-127 cm). Heavy-bodied; olive-green to brownish, with indistinct black bars on sides alternating with crossbars on back, more distinct in juveniles. Head seemingly short; series of small scales separating eye from upper lip scales. Belly dark, gray to brown, with light spots. Scales keeled, in 27-29 rows. Anal plate divided.
Warning All water snakes in the genus Nerodia will bite if harassed. Their bite is not venomous. When captured, Mississippi Green Water Snakes will bite or smear their captors with musk, but seem more reluctant to do so than most water snakes. Instead, they often regurgitate their last meal and attempt to flee.
Subspecies Green (N. c. cyclopion), light spots on dark belly;
Florida Green (N. c. floridana), unmarked light belly; s. South Carolina through Florida to s. Alabama.
Breeding Mates March to April; 4-101 young are born June to August; are 8 3/4-10 3/4" (22-27 cm) long.
Habitat Marshes, swamps, ditches, canals, bayous, and estuaries. Most frequent where there is little current and dense aquatic vegetation.
Range W. tip of Florida panhandle and s. Alabama (Mobile Bay) to Texas and north through much of Louisiana and e. Arkansas to s. Illinois.
Discussion Primarily diurnal, but often active in the early evening feeding on minnows and small fishes. Most favorable habitat is wooded swamps, where many individuals may be seen basking in branches that overhang water. One of the most fecund snakes in our range.
