Copperbelly Water Snake

by Alissa Barretti

Cold-blooded, diverse, and found everywhere, reptiles are a vital part of ecosystems across the globe. But lots of them are in danger, and not many people know it.

https://www.reptilefact.com/copperbelly-water-snake.html

It's a warm summer's day. The sun is beating on your back. The light breeze tugs at your hair in harmony with the grass in front of you, swaying back and forth. The loud buzz of insects, frogs croaking, and the chirping of nearby birds fill your ears. You look at the beautiful marsh in front of you, and in the corner of your eye, you see it--a flash of motion, and splash! You snap your head in the direction of the chaos, and there it is, the copperbelly water snake with a frog in its mouth. It just found a meal, but it may not have many left.

Let's take a look at the copperbelly water snake, or Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta. These beautiful red and black snakes have, as the name suggests, glowing copper bellies and shiny black bodies, and get two to four feet long. They live in Indiana and Michigan, in large areas of shallow wetlands surrounded by forests or lakes. Their diet is made of up of frogs and tadpoles. However, they are in danger of losing everything.

Unfortunately ecosystems that copperbelly water snakes live in are getting destroyed for farmland and construction space. Each copperbelly lives in a huge area of land, so habitat loss is extremely detrimental to them. Smaller spaces simply cannot hold a population.

Another massive threat to them is pet trade. The copperbelly water snake was often taken from the wild to be put in the pet trade. This was a huge issue in the 90s that severely hurt their population, even though now they're protected. However, this doesn't stop illegal sales.

So what can you do? Fortunately, not all hope is lost. You can talk to local government officials about expanding protection wetlands. You can donate to organizations that help protect natural resources and environments. You can also spread the word. Not many people know about this, so tell your friends and family. Your words are powerful.