Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I admit this is very little to go on, but I was in the Wissahickon Valley in Philadelphia, PA - a large wooded park with a creek in the middle. I saw a snake swimming in the creek. It dove before I could get close enough to see a pattern, but it swam with its head above water and body a little under.

My leading candidates are garter snakes, which I have caught and seen DOR in the park, and northern water snakes, which I have not caught or seen DOR, but which would not surprise me living in a wooded area surrounded by suburbs.

Do garters and water snakes swim differently? Is this entirely too little information to go on?

Thanks,

Billy

Garter Snakes do tend to swim more on the surface of the water, but I certainly wouldn't use that as a way of differentiating them from watersnakes. Watersnakes are more likely to dive as well, whereas gartersnakes will more often swim across the small pond/creek and crawl out the other side.
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Chris Harrison

Thanks,
I'm hoping to find a water snake at some point down there - I get a real kick out of finding new herps in such an urban location.