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Northern Water Snake
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by WildlifeWarrior1031 on September 24, 2007
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Ok I am seriously having trouble with this, all the books I have only give little differences like space between stipes and stuff like that, so does anyone know the difference between Northern and Midland Water snakes?
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RE: Northern Water Snake
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by ChuckHurd on September 24, 2007
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i can't recall all the details, but i was working at the chattanooga nature center in 2003 and we changed the lable on our "midland" water to a northern water. seem like they decided they were the same snake and the midland sub sp has offically been done away with.
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RE: Northern Water Snake
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by GREGLONGHURST on September 25, 2007
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This is just to expand on Chuck's reply.
From Conant: For pleuralis: "Dark markings smaller than spaces between them.
Belly: Double row of half moons or crescents."
For sipedon: "Dark markings larger than spaces between them.
Belly: Highly variable; half moons paired, scattered, or virtually absent."
That being said, the ongoing battle between the lumpers & the splitters may well have officially eliminated pleuralis..for now.
Bear in mind also that in portions of the range where the two subspecies may be found together, intergradation is most likely going on, making a subspecific key pretty much worthless.
~~Greg~~
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RE: Northern Water Snake
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by Rob_Carmichael on September 25, 2007
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I've spent many hours catching/studying both species and they do seem very different from one another - in terms of morphology and even behavior to a lesser degree. It's almost like the argument we have with canebrakes and timbers....they are now classified the same but if you talk to anyone whose worked with both they'll tell you that they are very different in not only looks but behavior. Gotta love those taxonomists!
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