Wildlife Watching Wednesday: The Rare Copperbelly Water Snake

By: Tom Berg

Most people have never seen a copperbelly water snake.  The reason is simple: these snakes are very uncommon and they are becoming downright rare.  The northern population of the copperbelly water snake (living in southern Michigan, northern Indiana and northwest Ohio) is even listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act. “Threatened” means they may become an endangered species in the near future. That is bad, because biodiversity is important for maintaining a healthy environment.

Copperbelly water snakes are quite striking in appearance. Adults have a solid black back with a bright reddish-orange belly. They are fairly large snakes, often reaching lengths of three to almost five feet in length. They are not venomous, so they are not dangerous at all to humans. One of their interesting traits is they give birth to live offspring rather than laying eggs like most other snakes.

Like all water snakes, the copperbelly spends a lot of time in and around water. They emerge from hibernation in spring (usually April, but sometimes May) and hunt for frogs, toads and tadpoles in the swampy wetlands they call home. Unlike many other water snakes, they typically do not catch and eat fish. Their favorite habitat features shallow, brushy wetlands which are surrounded by upland forest areas.

Copperbelly water snakes need shallow wetland areas that do not contain fish which might be predatory to the frogs and toads that the snakes need to eat. Vernal pools and floodplain wetlands are perfect since fish cannot usually survive in those areas for long periods. The snakes move between several places like this during the course of a season in order to find enough food.

What can people do to help conserve and protect the copperbelly water snake? First, resist the temptation to kill snakes that you find out in the wild. Snakes are beneficial creatures which serve an important purpose in the environment. Next, learn more about the habitat required by copperbelly water snakes. Habitat loss is the biggest threat to these particular snakes.  If people can preserve the snakes’ habitat, they will thrive.

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