floridensis
beneath the spanish moss with janson jones
Nerodia fasciata fasciata, 28 February 2012
Nerodia fasciata fasciata, the Southern banded watersnake;
Lowndes county, Georgia (28 February 2012).
Another benefit to living in South Georgia for two years was getting some time with the Southern banded watersnake, Nerodia fasciata fasciata. Throughout most of the Florida peninsula, we have the Florida banded watersnake subspecies, Nerodia fasciata pictiventris, but the currently-recognized South subspecies takes over near the state line. Personally, I’m fairly skeptical of subspecies distinctions to begin with (they’re all just banded watersnakes, y’all), but what do I know? I also suspect there’s a lot of intergradation between the Southern and Florida populations in extreme South Georgia. Regardless, it was cool to hang around some darker, slightly different banded watersnakes for a few clicks on the odometer of life. I really dug hanging out with those South Georgia fasciata.
floridensis 