Nerodia fasciata
Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Banded Water Snake sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 372 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 35 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Banded Water Snake in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in October, the lowest month. Those are among Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge's wettest months, with about 170 mm of rain a month against 50 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.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Banded Water Snake sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 60%), Congaree National Park (United States, about 50%) and Everglades National Park (United States, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Banded Water Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (372 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.
