Nerodia fasciata
Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%
The banded water snake or southern water snake (Nerodia fasciata) is a species of mostly aquatic, nonvenomous, colubrid snakes most commonly found in the Midwest, Southeastern United States. Nerodia fasciata is natively found from southern Illinois, south to Louisiana, and east to North Carolina and Florida. Introduced populations exist in Texas and California; other sources include eastern Texas in its natural range. In 1992, its congener Nerodia sipedon (northern or common water snake) and it were found in three sites in California by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Further trapping did indeed catch large numbers of them, indicating that a thriving invasive population exists in that area.
Adults of the banded water snake typically range from 56 to 107 cm (22 to 42 in) in total length, with a record size (in the Florida subspecies) of 159 cm (62.5 in) in total length. It is typically gray, greenish-gray, or brown in color, with... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ecomuseum Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Cameron Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Philadelphia Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Oklahoma Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Banded Water Snake sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, based on 305 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 37 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April to September
In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Banded Water Snake in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, against about 40% in January, the lowest month. Those are among Big Cypress National Preserve's wettest months, with about 190 mm of rain a month against 40 mm in March.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Banded Water Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
Yes
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Banded Water Snake sightings, Big Cypress National Preserve has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Congaree National Park (United States, about 50%) and Everglades National Park (United States, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Nerodia
The closest relatives of the Banded Water Snake that you can see in Big Cypress National Preserve (genus Nerodia, Watersnakes) are Brown Watersnake (about 50%) and Florida Green Watersnake (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Banded Water Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Big Cypress National Preserve (305 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
