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I suspect this is a Southern Water Snake, however I have not encountered one this color. This snake was orange with some slight markings on the top.

I have attached a picture that was captured from a video. Sorry for the quality.

What do you guys think - Could it be an orange Southern?

Looks like a Nerodia to me. Without being able to zoom in to look at the pattern, & without knowing where you found it, I cannot hazard a guess as to which species ssp it might be.

~~Greg~~

It really depends where you are.

It could be light Red-bellied Watersnake, or even a red-phase Mangrove Watersnake (although it looks too stout for that).
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Yes, I did leave out an important piece of information. I found him in Savannah, GA. I wish I had taked a better picture before freeing him in a creek down the street.

ir realy looks like a red belly to me

I agree. Do you remember what the belly looked like? If it was one solid color..pinkish to orange to red, then it was a red-bellied. If there was a distinct set of markings, then it was something else, but still a water snake.

~~Greg~~

Belly was solid orange. I do not remember a noticeable color change on the belly. I was comfortable with identifying this as a water snake, just haven't encountered one this color, thus the exact species was questionable.

Sounds like a possible a red bellied...

Thanks,

Greg

Yeah, with the solid orange belly, in that location, it is definitely a red-bellied water snake, Nerodia e. erythrogaster.

~~Greg~~

Its a Mangrove or Coastal water snake... usually found along Floridas west coast ..
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Safari Tom
See'em Touch'em Save'em
www.SafariTom.com

Safari Tom: And just how often are mangroves found in Savannah, Georgia creeks? Like I said, it's a red-bellied.

~~Greg~~

I didnt realize this was in Georgia ...

If its GA then its surley not a Mangrove .. lol
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Safari Tom
See'em Touch'em Save'em
www.SafariTom.com

Well, I had another visitor to my pond and it appears it is the same water snake I removed a few weeks back – or the same kind and same size…. This time I got a good photo – hopefully this will positively identify this guy as a red bellied…