floridensis
janson jones
Spring Break 2023: Nerodia fasciata pictiventris
Nerodia fasciata pictiventris, the Florida banded watersnake;
Monroe county, Florida (13 March 2023).
Spring Break 2023
Anyone who really knows me knows my absolute adoration for all things Nerodia, and this is especially the case with Nerodia fasciata pictiventris, otherwise known as the Florida banded watersnake (or more simply as the Florida watersnake). As far as snake intelligence is concerned, Florida banded watersnakes are not the sharpest tools in the watersnake shed, but they are somewhat-generalized opportunists, and you can find them damn near anywhere there’s a modicum of water. While other Nerodia species have particular preferences when it comes to habitat and diet, the Florida banded watersnake will take pretty much whatever it can get. It’s just trying to get by. Unfortunately, this species is commonly slaughtered by people who confuse them as being Florida cottonmouths (despite the two species looking absolutely nothing alike).
floridensis 