Okefenokee Swamp Brown Watersnake

While enjoying a slow paddle up the Suwannee River Middle fork through the heart of the Okefenokee Swamp, somehow my daughter spotted this Brown Watersnake sunning out over the water. It so perfectly blended in with the tangled branches that it would have passed just three feet from my face without me ever noticing it!

The Brown Watersnake, Nerodia taxispilota, one of several species of Nerodia found in the southeastern United States. It is probably the snake that I most frequently encounter while paddling the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. According tot he Savannah River Ecology Lab, “they are most common in flowing water such as rivers, canals, and blackwater cypress creeks. While other watersnakes in our region (banded and red-bellied) are frequently found in temporary wetlands and ditches, the brown watersnake’s preference for fish as prey makes them largely restricted to permanent water bodies, including large reservoirs. Additionally, they travel less over land than other watersnakes and are seldom observed far from the water’s edge. Ideal habitat includes abundant overhanging vegetation, emergent snags, or rocky river banks where snakes may bask.” (source: https://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/nertax.htm)

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia. Sunday, April 16, 2023.

• Location: Suwannee Middle Fork (red canoe trail) near Minnie’s Lake N30.85929° W82.32441°
• Cloudy with high 83, low 52.
• Sunrise 7:00 AM; Sunset 7:58 PM
• Daylight hours: 12 hours 57 minute (+1m 48s)