They prey on various types of fish and amphibians living in these locations. Northern water snakes prefer to live in and around lakes, ponds, marshes, rivers, and streams. They are often confused with the water moccasin because of their similar appearance. Their coloring changes from land to water as they appear more uniform in color on land.
#Zigzag lines watersnake series#
They are often tan, gray, or brown with series of square blotches that may ultimately merge into bands. Northern Waters Snakes are very dark in color. Northern Water Snake Northern water snake on log | image by Peter Paplanus via Flickr | CC BY 2.0 There are 2 subspecies of Nerodia sipedon not shown on this list, N. Common water snakes have round pupils and no heat-sensing pits, while cottonmouths have cat-like pupils with heat-sensing pits between the eyes and nostrils. To distinguish between the two snakes, pay attention to the pupils and the presence of heat-sensing pits. It’s important to note that although this species looks similar to venomous cottonmouths, they are non-venomous and harmless. Its belly is usually white, yellow, or gray and often has reddish or black crescents. Some snakes may even become almost completely black. Its body is long and slender, with a flattened head, dark crossbands on the neck, and square blotches elsewhere.Īs it ages, its color darkens, and its pattern becomes less distinct. The common water snake comes in various colors, from brown and gray to reddish-black. Common Water Snake Photo by ALAN SCHMIERER via Flickr | Public Domain Here are the different types of water snakes living in North America.
Water snakes are a diverse group of aquatic reptiles found in bodies of water throughout the United States. Despite this aggressive reputation, water snakes play an essential role in the ecosystem as they help to maintain balance in the population of their prey species. Although they are not venomous, they can be aggressive and will fiercely protect themselves when threatened. Water snakes are carnivorous predators that mainly feed on fish, frogs, and other small aquatic creatures. They possess broad, flat heads and keeled scales that give them a rough texture, and their backs exhibit dark, blotchy patterns of varying colors depending on the species and location. These snakes can range from medium to large in size, with some species growing up to five feet or longer. We conclude that Batesian mimics maintain the cryptic and aposematic value by resembling vipers, whereas in open habitats the non-Batesian mimic has altered its antipredator behavior to maintain its fitness.The genus Nerodia, known as water snakes, inhabits various locations throughout North America, including rivers, streams, swamps, and marshes, due to their semi-aquatic nature. maura responded to an approaching potential predator by remaining immobile or fleeing at shorter distances than did striped ones. We detected a shift in antipredator behavior between the 2 morphs, as Batesian mimicking N. Aerial predators less frequently attacked zigzag plasticine models than striped or unpatterned models. Our results indicate that the striped pattern was not geographically structured, but habitat-dependent.
We have examined whether individuals belonging to different geographically structured clades were more likely to exhibit a certain dorsal pattern, and whether the zigzag pattern has a protective function by exposing artificial snakes to predation in natural environments, in addition to comparing antipredatory behavior between zigzag and striped snakes also in natural environments. This snake also has a striped dorsal pattern that coexists with the zigzag pattern.
The viperine snake, Natrix maura, exhibits a zigzag dorsal pattern and antipredatory behavior that mimics European vipers. In some prey species, both Batesian mimetic and non-Batesian morphs coexist, presupposing that both morphs have to be evolutionarily advantageous. Abstract : Batesian mimicry is the process in which harmless species adopt the appearance of a dangerous, aposematic species.
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