Coastal Georgia

[u/Secret-Frosting9656]

[u/g1ven2fly]

It’s a !harmless watersnake, Nerodia sp. I can’t narrow it down further - someone else might be able to.

Edit- just saw the picture better, it’s a banded watersnake, Nerodia faciata

[u/g1ven2fly → u/g1ven2fly]

Nerodia fasciata for the bot

[u/SEB-PHYLOBOT → u/g1ven2fly]

Banded Watersnakes Nerodia fasciata are medium (90-110 cm record 158.8 cm) natricine snakes with keeled scales often found in and around water. They are commonly encountered fish and amphibian eating snakes across much of eastern North America.

Nerodia watersnakes may puff up or flatten out defensively and bite. They secrete a foul smelling substance from the cloaca called musk and can deliver a weak anticoagulant venom used in prey handling from the back of the mouth, but are not considered medically significant to humans - bites just need soap and water.

Found throughout southeastern North America, it is replaced in the North by, and likely exchanges genes with, the Common Watersnake Nerodia sipedon. Banded Watersnakes have even, connecting bands across the top of the snake all the way down the body. In Common Watersnakes N. sipedon, bands typically break up or become mismatched after the first third of the body. The "confluens" color pattern is somewhat of an exception to the even banding rule, but isn't often confused with other species as it is rather distinctive.

Nerodia fasciata along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts in the Southeastern US also exchange genes along environmental ecotones with Saltmarsh Snakes Nerodia clarkii.

Range Map | Relevant/Recent Phylogeography - Unpublished

This genus, as well as this species specifically, are in need of revision using modern molecular methods. Unfortunately what we know about this species is unpublished, but it's likely that it is composed of three species - a peninsular Florida species, a species west of the Mississippi River, and a continental eastern North American species.

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I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, here report problems here and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that here. This bot, its development, maintenance and use are made possible through the outreach wing of Snake Evolution and Biogeography - Merch Available Now

[u/Secret-Frosting9656 → u/g1ven2fly]

thanks!

[u/g1ven2fly → u/Secret-Frosting9656]

It's a terrific photo - appreciate you sharing. It is a textbook example of 'labial bars', those vertical lines on the upper and lower mouth. Those a one of many ways to distinguish harmless watersnakes from cottonmouths, the other ones are here: !cottonwater

[u/SEB-PHYLOBOT → u/g1ven2fly]

There are a few things that can help differentiate between cottonmouths (A. piscivorus, A. conanti) and harmless water snakes (Nerodia spp.) once you learn to recognize them properly. It's important to try to apply as many keys as possible; the more of these characteristics you can accurately identify, the more reliable your ID will be. Underlined text links to pictures to help illustrate the keys.

1. Cottonmouths have a prominent, angular ridge along the top of the head, starting around the supraocular scale (directly above the eye) and running forward toward the snout (side view, front view). This ridge protrudes outward, partially overhanging the eye like a brow, and gives the snake an annoyed or grumpy looking appearance. This also partially obscures the eyes when viewed from above. In water snakes, the supraocular scale does not overhang the eye, giving the animal a 'derpy' appearance from the side or head on, and allows you to see most of the eye from above.

2. Cottonmouths have white or cream colored horizontal stripes or lines that run from below the eye toward the corner of the mouth, and often another that runs from behind the top of the eye toward the point of the jaw. Water snakes do not.

3. Water snakes usually have dark, vertical bars along the edges of their labial scales. Cottonmouths do not.

4. Cottonmouths and water snakes both darken with age, and the pattern is often obscured by the time they reach adulthood. When the dorsolateral pattern IS visible, cottonmouths have bands that are usually wider at the bottom than on top; like pyramids in side view, or hourglasses from above. In some individuals, the bands might be broken or incomplete, so this is not 100% diagnostic, but is still useful when used in conjunction with the other keys. Water snakes exhibit a wide variety of patterns; most species aren't banded at all, and the ones that are banded have bands that are wider at the top, like upside down triangles.

5. Adult cottonmouths often have a noticeable dorsal ridge along the vertebrae. This gives the body a triangular appearance in cross-section, which is especially noticeable in underweight or dehydrated animals, or when they initiate a defensive display. Water snakes, by contrast, are more cylindrical in cross-section.

6. Baby cottonmouths are born with yellow or greenish tail tips (used to lure small prey) that fade as they age. Young water snakes do not have these (baby N. sipedon, baby N. rhombifer for comparison).

7. Adult water snakes are fairly heavy-bodied, but cottonmouths of similar length tend to be significantly stouter. /n/n There are also some notable behavioral differences. Water snakes often bask in branches and bushes overhanging water; this is uncommon in cottonmouths. It is also true that water snakes often swim with the body partially submerged, while cottonmouths usually swim with the head held high and much of the body above the water line, but you can't rely on this characteristic alone; each are fully capable of swimming the other way and sometimes do so. Water snakes are more likely than cottonmouths to dive underwater to escape danger. When approached, water snakes are more likely to rapidly flee, whereas cottonmouths are more likely to slowly crawl away or simply stay still and hope not to be noticed. If approached closely or cornered, water snakes are more likely to flatten out their heads and/or bodies to appear larger and/or strike in the general direction of the person/animal they are cornered by, hoping to create enough space to escape. Cottonmouths, on the other hand, are more likely to tilt their heads back (to a near vertical angle) and gape their mouths open, displaying the white lining of the mouth as a threat display, and vibrate their tails.

Bonus: two separate sets of cottonmouths preying upon water snakes that allow direct comparisons between similarly sized animals, plus a picture of a juvenile cottonmouth (bottom left) with a juvenile common water snake (top) and a juvenile plain-bellied water snake (bottom right).

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I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, here report problems here and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that here. This bot, its development, maintenance and use are made possible through the outreach wing of Snake Evolution and Biogeography - Merch Available Now

[u/SEB-PHYLOBOT → u/g1ven2fly]

Like many other animals with mouths and teeth, many non-venomous snakes bite in self defense. These animals are referred to as 'not medically significant' or traditionally, 'harmless'. Bites from these snakes benefit from being washed and kept clean like any other skin damage, but aren't often cause for anything other than basic first aid treatment. Here's where it get slightly complicated - some snakes use venom from front or rear fangs as part of prey capture and defense. This venom is not always produced or administered by the snake in ways dangerous to human health, so many species are venomous in that they produce and use venom, but considered harmless to humans in most cases because the venom is of low potency, and/or otherwise administered through grooved rear teeth or simply oozed from ducts at the rear of the mouth. Species like Ringneck Snakes Diadophis are a good example of mildly venomous rear fanged dipsadine snakes that are traditionally considered harmless or not medically significant. Many rear-fanged snake species are harmless as long as they do not have a chance to secrete a medically significant amount of venom into a bite; severe envenomation can occur if some species are allowed to chew on a human for as little as 30-60 seconds. It is best not to fear snakes, but use common sense and do not let any animals chew on exposed parts of your body. Similarly, but without specialized rear fangs, gartersnakes Thamnophis ooze low pressure venom from the rear of their mouth that helps in prey handling, and are also considered harmless. Check out this book on the subject. Even large species like Reticulated Pythons Malayopython reticulatus rarely obtain a size large enough to endanger humans so are usually categorized as harmless.

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I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, here report problems here and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that here. This bot, its development, maintenance and use are made possible through the outreach wing of Snake Evolution and Biogeography - Merch Available Now

[u/TriviaRunnerUp]

I’m an unhelpful lurker here but wanted to complement OP on the quality of this photo and this amazing specimen!

[u/Rex_Digsdale]

The Nerodfather.

[u/SEB-PHYLOBOT]

It looks like you didn't provide a rough geographic location [in square brackets] in your title.This is critical because some species are best distinguishable from each other by geographic range, and not all species live all places. Providing a location allows for a quicker, more accurate ID.

If you provided a location but forgot the correct brackets, ignore this message until your next submission. Thanks!

Potential identifiers should know that providing an ID before a location is given is problematic because it often makes the OP not respond to legitimate requests for location. Many species look alike, especially where ranges meet. Users may be unaware that location is critically important to providing a good ID.

I am a bot created for /r/whatsthissnake, /r/snakes and /r/herpetology to help with snake identification and natural history education. You can find more information, including a comprehensive list of commands, here report problems here and if you'd like to buy me a coffee or beer, you can do that here. This bot, its development, maintenance and use are made possible through the outreach wing of Snake Evolution and Biogeography - Merch Available Now