# Common watersnake (*Nerodia sipedon*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-watersnake  
Data as of: 2026-11-14

The common watersnake (Nerodia sipedon) is a species in the family Colubridae, order Squamata. Recorded adults weigh 325 g to 1.31 kg and live up to 9.6 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 325 g – 1.31 kg |
| Length | up to 1.5 m |
| Lifespan | 9.6 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 21 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | forest |
| Young per litter or clutch | 27.2 – 30 |
| Age at maturity | 2 years – 3 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Reproduction | Live birth |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Recorded prey and predators

Recorded prey: Bull (*Lepomis macrochirus*), Common snapping turtle (*Chelydra serpentina*), Spring salamander (*Gyrinophilus porphyriticus*), River chub (*Nocomis micropogon*). Recorded predators: Racer (*Coluber constrictor*). Each pair is recorded by at least two datasets compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (https://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/, CC0 1.0).

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Reptilia
- order: Squamata
- family: Colubridae
- genus: Nerodia
- species: *Nerodia sipedon* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Coluber sipedon*, *Natrix fasciata pleuralis*, *Natrix sipedon*, *Natrix sipedon williamengelsi*, *Nerodia agassizii*

## Common questions

### How big is the common watersnake?

An adult common watersnake weighs 325 g – 1.31 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

### How long does the common watersnake live?

The common watersnake has a recorded lifespan of 9.6 years.

### What kind of animal is the common watersnake?

The common watersnake (Nerodia sipedon) belongs to the family Colubridae in the order Squamata.

### What eats the common watersnake?

Animals recorded preying on the common watersnake include racer. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

### Which animals does the common watersnake eat?

Animals recorded as prey of the common watersnake include bull, common snapping turtle, spring salamander and river chub. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI): interpreted data products](https://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/), CC0 1.0, 0.11. Poelen, J.H., Simons, J.D. & Mungall, C.J. (2014) Global Biotic Interactions: an open infrastructure to share and analyze species-interaction datasets. Ecological Informatics 24: 148–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2014.08.005. Data: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22691479, with each record's original reference.
- [ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4), CC BY 4.0, v1-2. Oskyrko, O., Mi, C., Meiri, S. et al. (2024) ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles. Scientific Data 11: 243. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03079-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4
- [SquamBase 1.0 - a dataset of squamate species traits](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.76hdr7t3b), CC0 1.0, 1.0-dryad-v5. Meiri, S. (2024) SquamBase - a database of squamate (Reptilia: Squamata) traits. Global Ecology and Biogeography 33(4): e13812. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13812. Data: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.76hdr7t3b

Cite as: Common watersnake (Nerodia sipedon). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-watersnake