Reptile & Amphibian Forums

When do the females give birth? These are so little I thought they may be this years or late bloomers from last year. BTW, these where found in central VA on the South Anna river.

Very nice Ralph. I had asked how you found them in an email, but looks like you covered that information on here. How many did you find in all?

Steve
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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

I found three, all about the same size and coloration, within 25 feet from each other today.
They were all adult males. Here's one:

More Water Snake Photos

Good deal!! DO you know if the NWS give birth during this time of year. These where so small and found so close together I was wondering if a litter was recently born in the near vicinity.

Ralph, in my "Snakes of Virginia" book, it has Northern water snakes at approximately 8 inchs at birth. How large are those two males you have?

Steve
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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

the smallest is right at 8 inches if not a little smaller.

I think it's too early in the year for giving birth - at least in northern Ohio. I've seen 4-5 males "mob" females, so maybe that's what was going on in my case - maybe there was a female nearby. The larger of the snakes you found is over a year old and the smaller looks like last year's offspring.

Water snakes are pretty common in some areas, so I wouldn't find it to be highly unusual to see two juveniles in the same area - especially since some types of frog and salamander egg have hatched and the young snakes may be "cashing in" on slow-moving amphibian larva.

Tim

Ok, makes sense. There are a lot of tadpoles all around the shore line there as well as small frogs, small minnows etc.

In addition to what Tim just said, I wanted to add that in the book I have, it has them listed as bredding in late Summer/Early Fall. So I'd guess at the very least, the smaller one is a late 06 hatch, and the larger one even older.
Steve

>>I think it's too early in the year for giving birth - at least in northern Ohio. I've seen 4-5 males "mob" females, so maybe that's what was going on in my case - maybe there was a female nearby. The larger of the snakes you found is over a year old and the smaller looks like last year's offspring.

Water snakes are pretty common in some areas, so I wouldn't find it to be highly unusual to see two juveniles in the same area - especially since some types of frog and salamander egg have hatched and the young snakes may be "cashing in" on slow-moving amphibian larva. Tim
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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

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SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS

now that is interesting!! Breed in early fall. So that means once they are born they may not eat their first meal until the following spring assuming they are born a couple months after conception. Does it say what the gestation period is for them?

They breed in Spring and give live birth in the late summer. If you catch a big female in AUG, it is 90% chance its going to have babies. Every female I kept had live babies for me.

Yeah, I've found the same thing to be true, they drop their babies in late Summer.

Tim

Third Eye

...she had her babies the night after I caught her. It was late August, and I had hoped to share the excitement with my middle school students of her giving birth, but she dropped the babies before school started, and I released her and them the next day.

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Carl