Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is one of my juvenile waters belly.

same snake.

Here is the same snake. I took a pic of it's side to show the striped pattern breaking up.

Hopefully this is the snake that has the stripes nearly all the way around it. Dumb me forgot to type a title for it.

Here is one of those i caught last wednesday or whenever it was. his ones belly is teh best looking one I have right now.

The belly reminds me of a corn snakes, the way it is checkered.

Thats all for now. i just need a big one and i'll be happy.
Justin

Well, I learned something. Those are Midland Water snakes, Nerodia sipedon pleuralis, not Northern Water snakes as I suggested earlier.

I read up on it, and found that the two subspecies are a lot more alike than I thought. But given your location in NW Alabama, those are almost certainly Midlands, not Northerns.

Here's some stuff from Conant & Collins, for those interested...

Northern Water snake: "Dark dorsal markings...usually are bands anteriorly, becoming alternating dorsal and lateral blotches posteriorly (rarely completely crossbanded). Total dorsal markings (bands plus blotches) from neck to above the anus usually 30 or more and separated by one scale row or less...light spaces between lateral dark markings usually less than 2 1/2 scale rows...first 3 to 15 tail markings usually composed of alternating dorsal blotches and lateral bars...half moons on belly may be arranged in a regular pattern, scattered at random, represented merely by dusky areas, or be entirely absent. Some specimens may have their bellies almost uniformly stippled with gray except for a yellow, orange, or pinkish midventral stripe."

Midland Water snake: "Dark dorsal markings from neck to above the anus usually number 30 or less and are separated by more than one scale row, light spaces between lateral markings usually more than 2 1/2 scale rows wide...tail markings usually consist of complete rings. Occasionally, crossbands continue throughout length of body. Belly markings tend strongly to be in pairs and do not so often break up and disappear as they do in Northern Water snake."

michaelb

Hmm. Thats weird. Most have the broken up bands and not full bands. i have caught many many many. 50 or more. I just did not start keeping them till late last year. i kept them wrong then so they died. but that one pic i posted of the full striped one is the only one i've ever seen. 2 shed today and don't look much like they did in the pics. the smallest ones color reminds me of a diamand back water i've seen before. the markings are wrong though. the full banded one is in the opaque stage right now so i'll try to get pics of it when it sheds. They always look so much different after they shed for the first time from being in muddy water to a clean invironment. I'll prob. post pics of them tomarrow.
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Justin

are you and michael56 the same?
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Justin

Nope. I think michael56 has been around here a lot longer than me. (Then again, I could have multiple personality disorder and michaelb is just personality #57! )

I didn't realy think so. just wanted to make sure.
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Justin

I be Michael but not Michaelb. Michaelb be who he is but not who I am which is Michael56. Of course, I was Michael before and I still am so just to be clear, I'm Michael, not Michael.

In the same line of thought you could say ... a northern is'nt a midland, but they're both nerodia sipedon! It's plurly the way you look at it.

Michael (me not him)

Cool pics Justin. Do you have a belly shot of the banded-looking one? I'd also like to see a close up of the head if you could manage that. Thanks.
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Pierson Hill

Herpetology and Herpetoculture

I'm almost certain it will shed tomarrow. I thas had blue eyes for a few days now. They cleared up today but it's still not ready to shed. I'll take pics of it then. I'm going back to look for an adult today. I'm not very hopefull for a gravid female. I feel it is to late now. There is till a chance though.
By the way is anyone going to the dixie reptile show tomarrow? I am I have not been in about 5 months. I can't wait. I hopw to get me some hognoses.
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Justin