Common Watersnake / Common Misunderstandings

Common Watersnake at the Homer Lake Wetland, May 26, 2021

As I make my way along the edge of the wetland pond, there is a familiar undulating motion in the emergent vegetation ahead of me. Then a pause. I shift my position for a better vantage point and I see a familiar pattern of beige and dark brown. I've disturbed a common watersnake  (Nerodia sipedon) in the midst of its search for breakfast. After I've had a look, it speeds off through the vegetation, often disappearing underwater not to be seen again that day.

Common Misunderstanding 1: "Any snake you see in the water must be a water moccasin (or cottonmouth -- two different names for the same snake, Agkistrodon piscivoris)."  Not true: there are numerous species of aquatic snakes (and in fact all snakes can swim when needed). In many places and certainly here in Central Illinois, the common watersnake is by far the most common snake you will see in the water in an aquatic environment. We do have water moccasins in the State of Illinois, but only in the southernmost seven or eight counties of the state, and of course even there not every snake in the water is a water moccasin.

Common Misunderstanding 2: "Snakes are aggressive, essentially out there just looking for a chance to bite someone."  Not true: every time I encounter a snake at the wetland or elsewhere, it is eager to move away from me or will remain still in an attempt to escape notice. Apart, perhaps, from the invasive and non-native Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades, which are large enough to consider a human being a potential meal, snakes in America have no interest in engaging with humans. They just want to go about their business of finding food, regulating their temperature and reproducing. Like any wild animal though, they will use the means they have to defend themselves if they feel threatened. Common watersnakes along with many other snake species, for example, will often defecate and smear feces on a person handling them as a means of convincing a possible predator that they are not going to taste good. They may also bite, the same as a wild raccoon or squirrel would if handled.

Common Misunderstanding 3: "Most, if not all, snakes are dangerous." Not true: as noted above, there are snakes that will bite if handled as they try to defend themselves the same as any other wild animal, but in the State of Illinois, out of 38 species known to occur in the state, only four are venomous and so potentially dangerous. Of course, it just makes sense to leave snakes alone and appreciate them from a respectful distance, especially if you don't know what kind it is, but that said, there is really no reason to fear them.

Common Misunderstanding 4: "Poisonous" vs. "Venomous." This may be a bit nit-picky, but for those that care to know the difference, poison is a harmful substance that is ingested while venom is a harmful substance that is injected. There are many kinds of poisonous mushrooms, for example, You should not eat those. There are in the State of Illinois, four species of venomous snakes. You should not be bitten by those...

Finally, while the common watersnake is the one I see most often at the Homer Lake Wetland as well as at the Lake itself, I have often wondered where the garter snakes are. This year in early April I did come across a common garter snake looking for breakfast along the edge of the wetland pond. I had not seen one at the wetland in previous years nor have I come across one there since.

Common Garter Snake at the Homer Lake Wetland, April 6, 2021


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