Brazos Water Snake (Nerodia harteri)

Named after the mighty Brazos River herself, the Nerodia harteri, more commonly known as the Brazos Water Snake, are a friendly resident of Texas rivers. This fish-eating snake is just one of four species of interest considered threatened in the Brazos River basin.

Protection Status

The Brazos Water Snake is recognized as threatened by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and is protected by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Code.

Location

The Brazos Water Snake has one of the most restricted ranges of any Texas snake, found only along the upper portions of the Brazos River drainage. Click Here To View Map

Description

The Brazos Water Snake is a mix of brown and gray or a green and brown combination. They can be identified by the four rows of dark dorsal spots that run the length of its body, giving it a checkerboard appearance. The snake has a pink or orange-colored belly and its neck is often a yellow or cream color.

Habitat

The Brazos Water Snake enjoys residing in water that is fast-flowing and rocky, and free of dense vegetation, according to University of Texas Press research. This snake takes cover under rocks in water or in vegetation along shore. Juveniles use medium to large, flat rocks on unshaded shores for hiding and rocky shallows for feeding, while adults inhabit rocky riffles as well as a wider range of habitats in pools and lakes, according the Journal of Herpetology.

Behavior and Diet

A day-time hunter, the Brazos Water Snake requires rocks within its habitat to provide cover and security. They typically eat small fish but have been recorded eating a variety of salamanders, frogs, and crayfish.

Breeding Season

The Brazos Water Snake gives birth to as many as 23 live young between the months of September and October.

Ongoing Research/Conservation Efforts

Unfortunately, little is known about the Brazos Water Snake due to its somewhat remote location and its reclusive behavior. More research, conservation, and habitat protections are needed to better understand and protect this species into the future.

Currently, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has partnered with biologists from Stephen F. Austin State University to provide an updated understanding of the Brazos Water Snake’s population status. For more information about this research project, please contact SFA’s Mullin Herpetology Lab at: https://mullinlab.weebly.com/.

For more information on the Brazos Water Snake, go to:

• https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/wildlife_diversity/nongame/listed-species/
• https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/29316-Nerodia-harteri

Citations

• Conant, R. 1975. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Second Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. xvii + 429 pp.
• Ernst, C. H., and E. M. Ernst. 2003. Snakes of the United States and Canada. Smithsonian Books, Washington, D.C.
• Scott, N. J., Jr., T. C. Maxwell, O. W. Thornton, Jr., L. A. Fitzgerald, and J. W. Flury. 1989. Distribution, habitat, and future of Harter's water snake, Nerodia harteri, in Texas. Journal of Herpetology 23:373-89.
• Tennant, A. 1984. The Snakes of Texas. Texas Monthly Press, Austin, Texas. 561 pp.
• Werler, J. E., and J. R. Dixon. 2000. Texas snakes: identification, distribution, and natural history. University of Texas Press, Austin. xv + 437 pp.
• https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/62238/12583490#geographic-range
• https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/29316-Nerodia-harteri
• https://tpwmagazine.com/archive/2019/apr/scout9_wildthing/index.phtml
• https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101160/Nerodia_harteri

Read more about the other threatened species of interest here.