Nerodia clarkii clarkii

Nerodia clarkii clarkii, the Gulf salt marsh snake, is a subspecies of N. clarkii that is indigenous to the south-eastern United States. It is a nonvenomous, colubrid snake that inhabits coastal salt marshes and brackish estuaries along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Texas.[1][2]

Gulf salt marsh snake
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Nerodia
Species:
N. clarkii
Subspecies:
N. c. clarkii
Trinomial name
Nerodia clarkii clarkii
Baird & Girard, 1853
Synonyms
  • Regina clarkii
    Baird & Girard, 1853
  • Tropidonotus clarkii
    — Cope, 1861
  • Natrix clarkii
    — M.J. Allen, 1932
  • Natrix sipedon clarki
    — Conant, 1958
  • Natrix fasciata clarki
    — Conant, 1975
  • Nerodia clarkii clarkii
    — Conant & Collins

Description

The Gulf salt marsh snake is a moderately stout aquatic snake.[1] Adult specimens attain an average total length (including tail) of 38 to 51 cm (15 to 20 in), with the record maximum total length at 91.4 cm (36.0 in).[2] The color pattern in this subspecies is variable, but adults tend to have a dorsum that ranges from dark gray to reddish-brown with four yellowish longitudinal stripes down the body, two on each side. The belly is dark gray to reddish-brown with one to three rows of pale spots.[1][2]

Reproduction

The Gulf salt marsh snake reaches sexual maturity at three years. Females give birth to 2-44 live young that range from 17.7 to 22.8 centimetres (7.0 to 9.0 in) in total length. Their typical lifespan is up to 20 years.[1][2]

Diet

N. c. clarkii is primarily nocturnal, preying upon small fish, crabs, shrimp, and other invertebrates that become trapped in tidal pools during low tide.[1][2]

References
  1. Mount, Robert H. (1975). The Reptiles and Amphibians of Alabama. Auburn, Alabama: Auburn Printing Company. pp. 215–216. OCLC 1958638.
  2. "Gulf Salt Marsh Snake". Florida Museum of Natural History. University of Florida. Retrieved October 1, 2012.

Further reading
  • Baird SF, Girard CF (1853). Catalogue of North American Reptiles in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. Part I.—Serpents. Washington, District of Columbia: Smithsonian Institution. xvi + 172 pp. (Regina clarkii, new species, p. 48).
  • Powell R, Conant R, Collins JT (2016). Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Fourth Edition. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. xiv + 494 pp., 47 Plates, 207 Figures. ISBN 978-0-544-12997-9. (Nerodia c. clarkii, p. 415 + Plate 40).
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