Northern water snake - Middle Freshwater Scavengers

Northern water snake - Nerodia sipedon
By Merritt Gillilland
Animal Diversity Web
University of Michigan
Museum of Zoology

Habitat
Northern water snakes utilize many different aquatic habitats, such as: rivers, streams, sloughs, lakes, ponds, bogs, marshes, and impoundments. They prefer open areas that provide many spots for them to bask in the sun and relatively still waters. They may move onto land, especially the juveniles, but they never go to far from the aquatic environment. When they are not basking or searching for prey items they can be found beneath flat rocks, logs, boards or other types of cover. Northern water snakes are the most common snakes near water sources throughout northeastern North America. (Harding, 1997)

Food Habits
Northern water snakes are carnivores and scavengers. They eat a variety of prey items, including amphibians (adults and tadpoles), fish (alive or dead), crayfish, large insects, leeches, other snakes, turtles, birds, and small mammals such as white-footed mice. They have been known to herd schools of fish or tadpoles to the edge of bodies of water where they can prey upon many at one time. Northern water snakes hunt both during the day and at night. They are not constrictors, they simply swallow their prey alive. (Tyning, 1990)

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