Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
I found a young florida water snake that is completely black.The belly,the eyes and tongue are BLACK!!! I often find them that have a very dark or black back but the bellys are usually still colored normal, not this little guy he is solid black. how common is melanism in this species?

Ryan Mccullah

Dark ones are really common, I would love to see photos of this animal though it sounds like something exceptional.

Horridus

To me i doubt it is a water snake at all. It sounds like a Eastern Indigo. The charistics you listed is completly indigo and if you have it i would strongly recommend taking some pictures and immediatly realesing them because they are endangered and you could get a huge fine.
just my opinion
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Cameron

Doubt all you want,
I know the difference between Nerodia & Drymarchon.
The dorsal scales are heavily keeled on this animal,whereas indigos are smooth scaled,it is to small to be an indigo, even a hatchling. not to mention it was found in the middle of a swamp. every indigo I have ever found was in the highest,driest sand ridge areas.

This is a very interesting animal

Wow that is a very incredible animal, and i take back it being a indigo. You should keep it and try to breed it when it becomes a adult and see if the trait carries along.
Awesome find, did you find it in florida and if so what city? I understand if you dont want to give the information out.
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Cameron

I found it coming home from work monday.it was in volusia county about 20 miles south of daytona.

I say you should go back to that area and try to find another even if it doesnt have that trait and breed them together because maybe that one would carry it, you never know. Awesome snake though, great find.
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Cameron

If not a melanistic water snake...(first glance that's what I would guess), maybe black swamp snake sp? Smooth/keeled scales?
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Mike
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake
www.freewebs.com/badyear2005

It has the keeled scales. If it's not a swamp snake then its a potentially a very cool snake. Watersnakes don't have much a commercial following but I would definately look to breed it, or give it to someone who has a track record of breeding Nerodia in exchange for offspring, if you don't, that is.

Keep us posted!

Joe

...more pics and especially of the head/face. Do some scale counts too. Was it found anywhere near mangrove swamps or similar? Cool snake. I guess there is a small chance it is an exotic of sorts but I can't think of just what else it could be.
Just how long is it? Seems a bit thinner than a similar length pictiventrus but better pics would help.
email me through the forum.
Thanks.
:Mark
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Surrender Dorothy!

www.crimsonking.funtigo.com