Brown Water Snake

Breeding:
Live-bearing. Mates spring and fall; 3-31 young, 3 ¼ - 4 ½ “long, are born June to September.

Habitat:
Moist upland woodland to lowland freshwater and saltwater marshes; margins of swamps, bogs, and ponds; vacant lots, gardens, golf courses.

Range:
S. Main, s. Quebec, and s. Minnesota. South to lower Florida Keys, and through Texas and México to n. Honduras.

Subspecies:
Eight; 5 in our range. Wide zones of intergradations occur between races.
Northern vertical or diagonal dark bar on temporal scale on side of head usually extends though 6th and 7th lip scales; s. Maine and s. Quebec to Virginia. Intergrades with Midland from Michigan to Carolina.
Marsh, horizontal dark bark on temporal scale, 6th and 7th lip scales unmarked; coastal marshes; Colorado Co., Texas, east though Louisiana, Mobile Bay and Pensacola.
Texas, no bar on temporal scale; large blotch on nape of neck extends downward to belly scales; Minnesota to Texas, south into México.
Florida, 16 scale rows (all others 17), light band across head; se Georgia to Florida Keys. Midland, similar to Northern, except parallels spots fused by narrow cross bands; Illinois and Indiana south to s. Mississippi, s. Alabama, and sw. Georgia. Intergrades with Texas in c. Wisconsin, e, Illinois, w. Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

Diurnal, but nocturnal in warm weather. Hides under flat rocks, logs, or trash, usually found near water or damp places. Feeds on earthworms, slugs and snails. Large numbers may congregate to hibernate together.