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Possible Diamond-Backed
Water Snake Haslet, Texas (north of Dallas) - August 26, 2004
Thanks to A. L., Haslet, Texas, for sending in these photos This snake was found in a bathroom in the middle of the night by accident. All but one of the photos submitted to www.bugsinthenews.com were out of focus, testifying to the adrenalin that was still pumping through the photographer's vascular system. Snakes do that to us, especially when they show up where they shouldn't, unexpectedly. Notice in the photo above that this specimen uses a mouth-gape defense. This trait is found in many snakes, venomous and non- venomous, and tells us very little about its identity. The mouth interior is reddish in color. Markings on the dorsal surface of the body appear to consist of diagonal cross-bands that meet in the middle of the snake's spine. The dorsal head is dark, with lighter cheeks and lip scales. The primary color of the snake appears to be olive with dark brown or dark olive bands. In Texas, these features are good markers for the diamond-backed water snake, a non- venomous species that forages in waterways, including - yes - sewers. As it searches for prey, it pokes its head into pools of water. If that pool happens to be the p-trap of a toilet in your home, the snake may venture all the way up and out of your toilet bowl.
The second photo, which is in focus, shows the lateral body and belly of the snake. The markings on the lateral body consist of dark, vertical bands, rather than the diagonals seen in the first photo. Again, these are characteristic of the diamond-backed water snake, whose spinal diagonal cross-bands attach to vertical lateral cross-bands on the side of the snake. Belly markings are more pronounced at one end of the body than the other, but it isn't immediately obvious which goes with the head and which with the tail. Most of the time, dark spots on belly scales originate at the suture toward the head and extend back toward the tail, so from that we may presume the head is attached on the left, and the tail on the right (in the blow-up shown below, the head would be attached to the lower end of the body segment shown). In the diamond-backed water snake, belly markings are sparse toward the head, more numerous toward the tail, which is consistent with this specimen. However, the belly markings of that species do not match those shown in these photos. It is difficult to be sure from this photo, but the body scales appear to be smooth, rather than the keeled scales of the diamond-backed water snake.
Belly markings are consistent on this side of the snake, to the extent that two dark marks are found midway between each dark vertical band on the lateral body. If that holds true on the other side of the body, the dark bands there are offset from those on this side. The typical diamond-backed water snake has scattered belly markings, not the consistent ones shown here. In the third photo, below, the markings of the dorsal body are again visible, and show the diagonal cross-banding seen in the first photo. The head seems to have a uniform coloration dorsally, approaching the dark coloration of the bands.
The photo below shows the yellowish belly of this specimen, and an absence of belly markings toward the head, both consistent with the diamond-backed water snake. Questions about the exact identification of this snake cannot be resolved with the photos supplied. However, nothing about this snake types it as venomous, and most markers point to the diamond-backed water snake.
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