Species
Florida green watersnake
Nerodia floridana
A large, olive watersnake of southeast Georgia's swamps and the Okefenokee.
Photo Steve J Sewell (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)
At a glance
- Size
- Usually 75 to 140 cm long; heavy-bodied
- Habitat
- Swamps, marshes, lakes and slow water with dense plants
- Diet
- Fish and frogs
- In Georgia
- Southeast Georgia, including the Okefenokee Swamp
- Venomous
- No
- Rabies vector
- No
Identification
- Key marks
- Olive to greenish brown with faint dark marks; a row of small scales below the eye; pale belly
- Told apart from
- Cottonmouths, which have vertical pupils and a dark eye stripe
- Where to look
- In dense vegetation in swamps and marshes
Behaviour
It is the largest watersnake in the Southeast and gives birth to large litters. Like other watersnakes it flattens, bites and musks if grabbed.
Why they matter
It is a major predator of fish and frogs in southern swamps and prey for alligators and wading birds.
Reproduction and lifecycle
Young — Born live, often 20 to 50 or more
Size at birth — About 20 to 25 cm
Maturity — In a few years
Breeding — Every year
Lifespan — About 10 years
Diet shift — Young eat small fish
Living around people
- It is harmless unless grabbed.
Misconceptions
- Big swamp snakes are all cottonmouths. This is a harmless watersnake.
Related species
Seasonal activity
When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breeding | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Active nests | Jan: no | Feb: no | Mar: no | Apr: no | May: no | Jun: no | Jul: no | Aug: no | Sep: no | Oct: no | Nov: no | Dec: no |
| Notes | Sheltering | Active on warm days | Active | Mating | Active | Active | Young born | Young born | Active | Active | Active on warm days | Sheltering |
Where it lives
Recorded in 3 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.
United States
If you found one
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