Common Watersnake

Photo Credit: A.B. Sheldon

Family: Colubridae (Non-venomous snakes)
Status: Common
Size: 24-40 inches

This is a medium to a large heavy-bodied snake. The background color is gray, brown or tan and is marked with dark brown, red-brown or black transverse blotches, which often fade with age. The underside is distinctive, white with bright red half-moons interspersed irregularly with dark gray speckling.

Species range (darker) in Wisconsin

Common watersnakes are usually found in or close to any permanent waterbody but they prefer clean rivers. Their diet includes crayfish, slow-moving fish and a variety of amphibians. This non-venomous water snake is often mistaken for a cottonmouth (also known as a water moccasin) and is subsequently killed. Cottonmouths, which are venomous, do not occur anywhere near Wisconsin.