Redbelly Water Snake
Nerodia erythrogaster
A heavy-bodied water snake with a plain dark back and a bright reddish-orange belly, common along ponds and swamps of the American South.
- Adult length
- 0.75-1.5 m (2.5-5 ft)
- Range
- Southeastern and south-central United States
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Overview
The Redbelly Water Snake is a large colubrid found throughout the southeastern United States. It is one of several closely related Nerodia water snakes with thick bodies.
It relies on its jaws and quick strikes to take prey.
How to identify it
- Uniform olive, brown, gray, or black back with little to no pattern in adults
- Bright red, orange, or yellowish-orange belly, giving the species its name
- Heavy, thick body with keeled (ridged) scales giving a rough texture
- Broad, somewhat triangular-looking head, though pupils are round (unlike pit vipers)
- Juveniles show faint blotching that fades with age
- Distinguished from cottonmouths by round pupils, lack of facial pit, and thinner neck-to-head transition
Habitat & range
Found in a wide variety of freshwater habitats including swamps, marshes, ponds, lakes, ditches, and slow-moving streams throughout the coastal plain and piedmont of the southeastern U.S. Often found far from water in wet woodlands or during rainy periods.
Behavior, diet & reproduction
Primarily active during the day and at dusk, though it may become more nocturnal in hot summer months. Feeds mainly on fish and amphibians, actively foraging along shorelines and in shallow water. When threatened, it flattens its body, gapes its mouth, and may strike repeatedly. Gives birth to live young in late summer.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell it apart from a cottonmouth?
Redbelly Water Snakes have round pupils, no heat-sensing pit, and a slimmer head-to-neck profile compared to the blocky, pit-bearing head of a cottonmouth.
What does it eat?
Mostly fish and frogs, which it hunts actively in and around shallow water.
Where does it live?
Freshwater wetlands throughout the southeastern United States, from Virginia to Texas.
Redbelly Water Snake guides
In-depth guides for identifying and understanding Redbelly Water Snake.
