It's either a Midland Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon pleuralis), or a Northern Water Snake (Nerodia s. sipedon). I've seen specimens of either subspecies that I couldn't tell the difference if my life depended on it. Then if you consider any intergradation in their overlapping ranges, it's anyone's guess without precise locale-data.

Just for one example, this photo is said to be of a Midland Water Snake, but there are other Northern Water Snakes that look virtually identical and there are even dedicated Northern Water Snake web site's that have this very same photo portraying a Northern Watersnake instead...

It's definitely ONE of the two........


~Doug

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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

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