Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i`m new on this forum, but i just want to show you my diamondback watersnake`s,.. the rest of mij snake`s are all rear-fanged..

That's a smart looking snake you have there. Thanks for sharing! Your post was plural (water snakes), do you have other Diamondbacks? Was the chick scented? Are you considering rearing other nerodia, or continuing predominantly with rear-fangs?

And yes, my learned companions, I observed the "a"!
Nerodians can be such purists.

That snake is a Nerodia rhombifer rhombifer, the Diamondback Watersnake. There are two Mexican subspecies.
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Pierson Hill

Herpetology and Herpetoculture

I did not know that there where two Mexican subspecies. I get the "THE Diamondback ...", took me a second, but what are the sub's? And what distinguishes them from the "primary" species?
I'm still trying to get over the Greens being divided!
And while we're at it, it's bad enough that we have to deal with albinos and hets but now if two subspecies cross, we wind up with a "semi with a hemi"! I guess that's what you call a " two- way split".
On a more serious note, while I was walking the dike yesterday I came across what I thought was a narrowdia but it turned out to be a road-kill garter! I don't get out much.
Michael

The nominate subspecies is of course THE Diamondback Watersnake (Nerodia rhombifer rhombifer). It ranges from the midwestern US to the northern parts of Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas where it begins to intergrade with the Nerodia rhombifer blanchardi, the Tampico Watersnake.

Tha Tampico Watersnake is distinguished by a heavily faded color pattern, both dorsally and ventrally. The subspecies ranges down the Gulf Coast of Mexico into the northern half of Veracruz where it intergrades with the Tabasco Watersnake (Nerodia rhombifer werleri).

N. r. werleri ranges through Veracruz, through Tabasco, and into extreme western Campeche. It pretty much resembles the Diamondback Watersnake except that is usually has 2 or sometimes 3 preocular scales (the other two subspecies rarely have more than 1).

Just so you know, we probably won't be seeing the two Mexican subspecies in captivity any time soon. I've never even seen photographs of them.
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Pierson Hill

Herpetology and Herpetoculture

Tamaulip, Tampico, Tabasco ... got it. It's intersting that a "faded" form would exist between the other two. Go genetics!

Well this is the male i bought some week ago a female, but she is mutch smaller so i need a year or so before breeding attemds,.. in the reptile shop i work we have alot of watersnake`s,.. some interesting species but i didnt have much time ID them, they all came in as Nerodia sp.

cheers
Robin Feitsma

I did scent the pray but this is a monster,.. it once swallowed a live mice that was scented,.. with the head last :S,.. really freaky,.. he`s also a real snapper. I predomantely want to keep Boiga spp. But some terraria with watersnake`s is really cool,easy to breed and not mutch of a work to take care of,.. in my eye alles fish eating non-venomous snakes are really underastemated as pets,.

A pic of the 2 snake`s,..

small one is the female

It is so nice to see true diamondback, Diamondbacks! And as noted before ... those Piersong, pardon me, piercing red eyes!
Looks like you do well by your snakes ... I hope they breed for you, and do you proud.

another pic

>>another pic
>>
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Pierson Hill

Herpetology and Herpetoculture