Skip to main content

Lake Erie Water Snake

Nerodia sipedon insularum
The Lake Erie Water Snake is actually a subspecies of the very common Northern Water Snake. While the species as a whole is found across the northern areas of the continent, the Lake Erie subspecies is confined to a very small area of land on that titular lake.

This non-venomous subspecies is so remarkable because it was once rare and endangered. It was listed as a federally threatened animal in 1999, due to intentional killings and habitat loss. 20 years ago there were only about 1,200 adult snakes remaining!

Lake Erie Water Snakes have now dramatically rebounded, thanks to habitat protection, community involvement, and a recovery plan. They were de-listed by the federal government in August 2011.

One really great story behind the resurgence of the subspecies is that they help to curb the Round Goby population. The fish is an invasive species that has harmed the native populations. Lake Erie Water Snakes now consume the invasive fish in huge numbers- they make up 90% of their diet!
IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : North America
Size : Length up to 4ft (1.2m)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Reptilia -- Order : Squamata
Family : Colubridae -- Genus : Nerodia -- Species : N. sipedon -- Subspecies : N. s. insularum
Labels:

Comments

  1. MichaelJune 12, 2012 at 4:31 PM

    Thanks for sharing this useful article about Lake Erie Water Snake which is a subspecies of Northern Water Snake as you have also mentioned in your post. Northern water snakes are probably the most common type of water snakes in US that can that can be found in most states including California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri and more.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a...
59 comments
Read more

Halloween Crab

Gecarcinus quadratus The Halloween Crab goes by many names, including the Red Land Crab, Whitespot Crab, and Moon Crab. I personally like Halloween Crab though, since it really reflects the interesting colors. They have black carapaces, orange-red legs, and purple claws! Halloween Crabs live in the Pacific coast mangroves and forests of Central and South America. They actually live in the forests as adults, and return to the ocean in order to reproduce. Did you know that they live as far away as 18 miles (30km)  from water? Not where you normally think Crabs to be! While living in the forest, the Crabs forage nocturnally for different plant matter, including leaves and sapling. They also dig long burrows into the ground for protection. These burrows can measure nearly 5 ft long! Halloween Crabs are sometimes kept in captivity, and can be very tricky pets due to their excellent climbing skills. IUCN Status :  Not Listed ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!
18 comments
Read more