Nerodia clarkii clarkii

Gulf salt marsh snake
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
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

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.[2][3]

Description

The Gulf salt marsh snake is a moderately stout aquatic snake.[2] 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).[3] 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.[2][3]

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.[2][3]

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.[2][3]

See also

• Nerodia clarkii

References

1. NatureServe (5 July 2024). "Nerodia clarkii clarkii". NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data accessed through NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia: NatureServe. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
2. Mount, Robert H. (1975). The Reptiles and Amphibians of Alabama. Auburn, Alabama: Auburn Printing Company. pp. 215–216. OCLC 1958638.
3. "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).