Description: The brown water snake is very heavy-bodied, and its neck is distinctly narrower than its head. Dorsally, it is brown or rusty brown with a row of about 25 black or dark brown, square blotches down its back. Smaller similar blotches alternate on the sides. Ventrally, it is yellow, heavily marked with black or dark brown. Dorsal scales are in 27 - 33 rows (more than any other North American water snake), and it has two to four anterior temporals (usually one in others). Adults measure 30 - 60 inches in total length; record 69 inches.
Habitat:N. taxispilota is found in swamps and streams and is often mistaken for a moccasin. N. taxispilota are widely distributed in the coastal and piedmont regions of the Southeastern United States. More commonly found in flowing water such as rivers, canals, and black water cypress creeks N. taxispilota can also be found in large water reservoirs and lakes. Their preference of a pescatarian diet keeps them from living in ephemeral wetlands.
Range:N. taxispilota is found in lower coastal regions from southeastern Virginia, through North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, to northern and western Florida (Gulf Coast), then west through Missouri, Alabama, and Mississippi, to Louisiana, normally from sea level to 500 foot elevation.
Diet: The two main hunting techniques of brown water snakes include actively foraging for food and ambush hunting. They are primarily piscivorous, feeding almost exclusively on small catfish as large (snout-vent lengths over 60 cm) adults. They catch the snake and carry it in their jaws to land to comsume ti. They are known to eat the fish whole, swallowing it head-first.
There have been uncommon cases of brown water snakes consuming organisms that lie outside of their typical dietary range. They will feed on small lizards, turtles, crayfish, frogs, and other snakes when prey is scarce. In captivity, they refuse nearly all food items except fish.
Reproduction:N. taxispilota is ovoviviparous. Mating takes place in the spring on land or on tree branches. On average, adult females are larger than adult males. The young are born alive, usually in August, in broods of 14 - 58, more commonly 30 - 40. The newborns are 7 - 10 3/4 inches long, with males longer than females, opposite of adults.
Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of its wide distribution, tolerance of a degree of habitat modification, presumed large population, and because it is unlikely to be declining fast enough to qualify for listing in a more threatened category.
Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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