Common Watersnake
Nerodia sipedon (Linnaeus, 1758)
Taxonomy
| Kingdom | Animalia |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Reptilia |
| Order | Squamata |
| Family | Colubridae |
| Genus | Nerodia |
| Species | Nerodia sipedon (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Description
Diagnostic characters
- Ecological class
- Accidental
Distribution
Range
Known from two counties across two states.
Continent
North America
Country
United States
States and provinces
Georgia, Tennessee
Counties
- Georgia
- Walker
- Tennessee
- Marion
Conservation and management
IUCN Red List
LC Least Concern
Assessed in 2007.
NatureServe
G5 Secure
National ranks
- Canada
- N5 Secure
- United States
- N5 Secure
Subnational ranks
- Quebec
- S3 Vulnerable
- Ontario
- S5 Secure
- Connecticut
- S5 Secure
- Wisconsin
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Kentucky
- S5 Secure
- Kansas
- S5 Secure
- North Carolina
- S5 Secure
- ME
- S5 Secure
- Illinois
- SNR Unranked
- NH
- S5 Secure
- Michigan
- S5 Secure
- Georgia
- S5 Secure
- Maryland
- S5 Secure
- Virginia
- S5 Secure
- DE
- S5 Secure
- Missouri
- S5 Secure
- Massachusetts
- S5 Secure
- Ohio
- SNR Unranked
- South Carolina
- S5 Secure
- Louisiana
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Alabama
- SNR Unranked
- Florida
- S2 Imperiled
- Colorado
- S4 Apparently Secure
- NJ
- SNR Unranked
- Indiana
- SNR Unranked
- Minnesota
- S4 Apparently Secure
- RI
- S5 Secure
- Iowa
- S5 Secure
- New York
- S5 Secure
- Tennessee
- S5 Secure
- Mississippi
- S5 Secure
- West Virginia
- S5 Secure
- NE
- S5 Secure
- District of Columbia
- S4 Apparently Secure
- Texas
- S2 Imperiled
- South Dakota
- SU Unrankable
- Oklahoma
- SNR Unranked
- Pennsylvania
- S5 Secure
- Arkansas
- S5 Secure
- Vermont
- S3 Vulnerable
State and federal status
Not listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act
References
- Hay, W.P. 1902. Observations on the crustacean fauna of Nickajack Cave, Tennessee, and vicinity. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 25: 417–439. doi:10.5479/si.00963801.25-1292.417
- Niemiller, M.L. & Miller, B.T. 2009. A survey of the cave-associated herpetofauna of the eastern United States with an emphasis on salamanders. Proceedings of the 15th International Congress of Speleology, Kerrville, Texas, USA, Volume 1: 249–256.
- Zigler, K.S., Niemiller, M.L., Stephen, C.D.R., Ayala, B.N., Milne, M.A., Gladstone, N.S., Engel, A.S., Jensen, J.B., Camp, C.D., Ozier, J.C. & Cressler, A. 2020. Biodiversity from caves and other subterranean habitats of Georgia, USA. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies 82: 125–167. doi:10.4311/2019LSC0125
How to cite this account
Nerodia sipedon (Linnaeus, 1758). Cave Biology Data Portal, account SP-2713. https://cavebiology.org/species/nerodia-sipedon/ (accessed 6 September 2026).
Data sources and funding are listed in the Acknowledgments.
Spotted something wrong on this page? Report a correction. Accounts are compiled from many sources and corrections from people who know the group are the most useful email we get.