Gulf Saltmarsh Snake

Nerodia clarkii clarkii

Venom Status:

Non Venomous

 

Characteristics:

Buff, brown or gray above with 4 dark stripes, 2 on each side. Belly reddish to gray with 1 or 3 rows of light spots. Scales keeled, anal plate divided. Ovoviviparous. Young are like the adults but more precisely colored. Small fish are the favored prey item. Dark stripe extends rearward from eye to the angle of the jaw. Upper and lower labial sutures are dark. .

 

Unique Features:

This is the only 4-striped water snake of the southeast. The salt water habitat also figures prominently in identification.

 

Habitat and Diet:

This is a coastal, saltmarsh species. Often found in Spartina and other salt tolerant grasses and shrubs. Saltmarsh snakes often bask atop clumps of emergent grasses. Small fish are the favored prey item.

 

Geographic Range:

FL, AL, AR, LA, MS, TX,