Officials with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources spotted a northern watersnake while hiking the boardwalk at Triangle Lake Bog State Nature Preserve.
The northern watersnake is one of the most widely distributed and certainly one of the most abundant snakes in Ohio, ODNR staff shared in a Facebook post. It may inhabit just about any permanent body of water. This stout-bodied snake shows extreme variations in color and pattern and is unfortunately confused by many with the venomous water moccasin, or cottonmouth. The cottonmouth, however, does not occur in Ohio.
Watersnakes usually flee from people, but when grabbed, they are quick to defend themselves. They bite viciously, and large ones are capable of producing painful, deep lacerations. When picked up, they invariably secrete an obnoxious smelling substance from their musk glands.
Northern watersnakes are particularly fond of basking and can often be seen sunning upon logs, stumps and rocks, or on low branches overhanging the water. They are wary and when disturbed drop into the water and disappear quickly.
For more info on reptiles in Ohio from the Ohio Division of Wildlife, head to https://tinyurl.com/fmr8aw9b.
