Northern Water Snakes

Northern Water Snakes. Greenwood Furnace State Park. Look carefully! From April to October, you might spot Pennsylvania’s most common water snake. The non-venomous northern water snake likes to be close to water and good hiding places, like rocks, logs, and brush piles., The northern water snake can be seen in a variety of colors. On some adults, the patterns can blend into the background color, making them appear completely black., Nature’s Balance , Northern water snakes are important to the balance of nature because they eat small fish, frogs, toads, and crayfish and are food for other predators., Mating Habits , Water snakes wrap their tails together when they mate. You might see this twist of snakes in or out of the water. , Mistaken Identity , Don’t confuse a harmless northern water snake with a venomous northern copperhead or eastern cottonmouth. Copperheads have obviously flatted, triangle-shaped heads. Don’t worry about eastern cottonmouths (also known as water moccasins)-they don’t live in Pennsylvania. The northern water snake may also be confused with the non-venomous eastern milk snake. , Venomous vs. Non-Venomous , Copperheads (and all other venomous snakes in Pennsylvania have vertical pupils like a cat’s eye. Our non-venomous snakes have round pupils like we do., If You See a Snake , As with all wild animals, you should never handle northern water snakes. Although they aren’t venomous, they will bite to defend themselves. Don’t hurt water snakes and they won’t hurt you!, I Spy..Slithering Snakes , You might see snakes: , Basking in the sun to raise their body temperature in spring and fall. In summer, cold-blooded snakes prefer the shade so they don’t overheat. , Growing from the length of six to ten inches when they’re born in July and August, to two to three feet as adults. , Hunting by pursuing their prey in the winter, under rocks and through crevices, then swallowing it head first.