ADW: Nerodia sipedon: INFORMATION

<!DOCTYPE html> <html xmlns:og="http://ogp.me/ns#" lang="en" xml:lang="en"> <head> <title>ADW: Nerodia sipedon: INFORMATION</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Nerodia_sipedon/" /> <script type="text/javascript" src="//code.jquery.com/jquery-3.6.0.min.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//code.jquery.com/jquery-migrate-3.3.2.min.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/static/js/compat.js"></script> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="https://animaldiversity.org/favicon.ico" /> <link href="//fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Gentium+Book+Basic:400,400italic,700,700italic" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> <link href="//fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=PT+Sans:400,700,400italic,700italic" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/static/bootstrap/css/bootstrap.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/css/pica.styles.css" /> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/css/pica.print.css" media="print" />  <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/static/colorbox/colorbox.css" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Nerodia_sipedon/" /> <meta content="Nerodia sipedon (Northern Water Snake)" property="og:title" /> <meta content="website" property="og:type" /> <meta content="Animal Diversity Web" property="og:site_name" /> <meta content="https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/usfws/northernwatersnake/medium.jpg" property="og:image" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary" /> <meta name="twitter:site" content="@AnimalDiversity" /> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Nerodia sipedon (Northern Water Snake)" /> <meta name="twitter:description" content="Read about Nerodia sipedon (Northern Water Snake) on the Animal Diversity Web." /> <meta name="twitter:image:src" content="https://animaldiversity.org/collections/contributors/usfws/northernwatersnake/medium.jpg" /> <meta name="twitter:image:height" content="480" /> <meta name="twitter:image:width" content="723" /> <meta name="twitter:url" content="https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Nerodia_sipedon/" /> <script type="text/javascript" src="/static/js/Hyphenator.js"></script> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/static/social-likes/social-likes_birman.css" /> <style> .social-likes { margin: 0; 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They prefer open areas that provide many spots for them to bask in the sun and relatively still waters. They may move onto land, especially the juveniles, but they never go to far from the aquatic environment. When they are not basking or searching for prey items they can be found beneath flat rocks, logs, boards or other types of cover. Northern water snakes are the most common snakes near water sources throughout northeastern North America. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#a73d7d95a96cd424da9665f1b56b3f74" class="citation">Harding, 1997</a>)</span></p> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate "> <li class="keywords-header">Habitat Regions</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145595">temperate</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145747">freshwater</a> </li> </ul> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate "> <li class="keywords-header">Terrestrial Biomes</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145792">taiga</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145599::20020904145583::20020904145682">savanna or grassland</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145828">forest</a> </li> </ul> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate "> <li class="keywords-header">Aquatic Biomes</li> <li> <span>lakes and ponds</span> </li> <li> <span>rivers and streams</span> </li> </ul> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate "> <li class="keywords-header">Wetlands</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145363">marsh</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145679">swamp</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145320">bog</a> </li> </ul> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Other Habitat Features</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145842">riparian</a> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="physical_description">Physical Description</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">These are dark-colored snakes, brownish, tan or grayish in appearance. The back and sides have a series of square blotches alternating with each other that may merge to form bands. Adult snakes can appear solid brown or black, especially when dry. The belly is usually white, yellowish, or orangish with dark half-moon-shaped black edges. Juveniles have reddish brown saddles on a tan, brown, or gray background. Males are usually smaller than females. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#d157182216e9d9476843d82e5de4df12" class="citation">Behler and King, 1979</a>; <a href="#a73d7d95a96cd424da9665f1b56b3f74" class="citation">Harding, 1997</a>; <a href="#9a6609b322ba57f442990f762358c8e7" class="citation">Jordan, 1929</a>; <a href="#e7a6b9273bdc3afbab5cae36b38534da" class="citation">Tyning, 1990</a>)</span></p> <p audience="advanced">Scales are keeled and the anal plate is divided, with 21-25 scales at midbody.</p> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Northern water snakes are medium to large snakes, ranging from 61 to 140 cm. They range from 19 to 27.3 cm at birth.</p> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate "> <li class="keywords-header">Other Physical Features</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020916125902">heterothermic</a> </li> </ul> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Sexual Dimorphism</li> <li> <span>female larger</span> </li> </ul> <ul class="aside block-grid donthyphenate one-up"> <li> <dl> <dt>Range length</dt> <dd>61 to 140 cm</dd> <dd class="english">24.02 to 55.12 in</dd> </dl> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="reproduction">Reproduction</h3> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Mating System</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145840">polygynous</a> </li> </ul> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Male northern water snakes are able to reproduce when they are 21 months old. Female snakes begin to breed when they are three years old and produce a single litter each year. Most reproduction occurs while in or near their hibernation sites between mid-April and mid-June. Temperature and latitude may cause variation in these times. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#844a4412eb1c994040766d85a96b0f36" class="citation">Bauman and Metter, 1977</a>)</span></p> <p audience="advanced">During breeding, a male comes along side a female and rubs his chin along her back, occasionally giving a spasmodic jerk. He then twines his tail around hers and brings the cloacal openings into contact. Usually only one male copulates with a single female; on occasion there may be two. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#a73d7d95a96cd424da9665f1b56b3f74" class="citation">Harding, 1997</a>; <a href="#e7a6b9273bdc3afbab5cae36b38534da" class="citation">Tyning, 1990</a>)</span></p> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Gestation can last anywhere from 3 to 5 months. Young snakes are born alive (not laid as eggs) from July to September. The litter ranges in size from 4 to 99 offspring. Larger females tend to have larger litters.</p> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Key Reproductive Features</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145554">iteroparous</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145584">seasonal breeding</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145786">sexual</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145546">fertilization</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145610">ovoviviparous</a> </li> </ul> <ul class="aside block-grid donthyphenate three-up"> <li> <dl> <dt>Breeding interval</dt> <dd>Northern water snakes mate once yearly</dd> </dl> </li> <li> <dl> <dt>Breeding season</dt> <dd>April to June</dd> </dl> </li> <li> <dl> <dt>Range number of offspring</dt> <dd>4 to 99</dd> </dl> </li> <li> <dl> <dt>Range gestation period</dt> <dd>3 to 5 months</dd> </dl> </li> <li> <dl> <dt>Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)</dt> <dd>3 years</dd> </dl> </li> <li> <dl> <dt>Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)<br /><span>Sex: female</span></dt> <dd>730 days</dd> <dd> <small> <a href="http://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Nerodia_sipedon" class="external-link">AnAge</a> </small> </dd> </dl> </li> <li> <dl> <dt>Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)</dt> <dd>21 months</dd> </dl> </li> <li> <dl> <dt>Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)<br /><span>Sex: male</span></dt> <dd>730 days</dd> <dd> <small> <a href="http://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Nerodia_sipedon" class="external-link">AnAge</a> </small> </dd> </dl> </li> </ul> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Female northern water snakes nurture and protect their young before they are born. Young water snakes become independent at birth, and are capable of hunting and caring for themselves.</p> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Parental Investment</li> <li> <span>pre-hatching/birth</span> <ul> <li> <span>provisioning</span> <ul> <li> <span>female</span> </li> </ul> </li> <li> <span>protecting</span> <ul> <li> <span>female</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="lifespan_longevity">Lifespan/Longevity</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Northern water snakes have been known to live up to 9 years and 7 months in captivity. Their lifespan in the wild is unknown.</p> <ul class="aside block-grid donthyphenate two-up"> <li> <dl> <dt>Range lifespan<br /><span>Status: captivity</span></dt> <dd>115 (high) months</dd> </dl> </li> <li> <dl> <dt>Average lifespan<br /><span>Status: captivity</span></dt> <dd>9.6 years</dd> <dd> <small> <a href="http://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Nerodia_sipedon" class="external-link">AnAge</a> </small> </dd> </dl> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="behavior">Behavior</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Northern water snakes are only social during the fall and spring after overwintering. They can be found in groups at basking sites coiled together. For the most part they are solitary animals, especially in the warmer months. It is quite common to find northern water snakes sunning themselves during the warm part of days. They can be found on overhanging branches, walkways, beaver lodges, dried cattail stems, and many shallow areas in the water.)</p> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Northern water snakes can be found during the day or at night, but are more active during the daylight hours. Because of their preference for aquatic habitats they are commonly mistaken for venomous <span class="taxon-name rank-species">water moccasins</span>, <span rank="Species" class="taxon-name rank-species">Agkistrodon piscivorous</span>. Northern water snakes are not venomous but they are aggressive and should always be treated with care and respect. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#e7a6b9273bdc3afbab5cae36b38534da" class="citation">Tyning, 1990</a>)</span></p> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Key Behaviors</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145414">diurnal</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145403">hibernation</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145381">solitary</a> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="communication">Communication and Perception</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Northern water snakes probably communicate with each other primarily through touch and smell. They also use their sense of sight and detection of vibrations to locate prey.</p> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate "> <li class="keywords-header">Communication Channels</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145500">tactile</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145606">chemical</a> </li> </ul> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate "> <li class="keywords-header">Other Communication Modes</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145769">pheromones</a> </li> </ul> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Perception Channels</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145694">visual</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145500">tactile</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145852">vibrations</a> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145606">chemical</a> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="food_habits">Food Habits</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Northern water snakes are carnivores and scavengers. They eat a variety of prey items, including <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Lissamphibia/">amphibians</a> (adults and tadpoles), <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Actinopterygii/">fish</a> (alive or dead), <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Decapoda/">crayfish</a>, large <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Insecta/">insects</a>, <span class="taxon-name">leeches</span>, other <span class="taxon-name">snakes</span>, <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Testudines/">turtles</a>, <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Aves/">birds</a>, and small <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Mammalia/">mammals</a> such as <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Peromyscus_leucopus/">white-footed mice</a>. They have been known to herd schools of fish or tadpoles to the edge of bodies of water where they can prey upon many at one time. Northern water snakes hunt both during the day and at night. They are not constrictors, they simply swallow their prey alive. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#e7a6b9273bdc3afbab5cae36b38534da" class="citation">Tyning, 1990</a>)</span></p> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate "> <li class="keywords-header">Primary Diet</li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020904145419">carnivore</a> <ul> <li> <span>eats terrestrial vertebrates</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul class="keywords donthyphenate last"> <li class="keywords-header">Animal Foods</li> <li> <span>birds</span> </li> <li> <span>mammals</span> </li> <li> <span>amphibians</span> </li> <li> <span>reptiles</span> </li> <li> <span>fish</span> </li> <li> <a class="gloss" href="#20020913233224">carrion</a> </li> <li> <span>insects</span> </li> <li> <span>terrestrial non-insect arthropods</span> </li> <li> <span>aquatic crustaceans</span> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="predation">Predation</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Northern water snakes often escape predators by swimming off across a body of water or by diving below the surface, where they anchor themselves to vegetation or logs. They usually remain submerged for about 5 minutes but are capable of remaining below water for an hour and a half.</p> <p audience="advanced intermediate">When confronted, northern water snakes flatten their bodies and jaws and begin to strike and bite ferociously. They also release a foul-smelling musk and may defecate to discourage predators. When extremely agitated they will also regurgitate their last meal. Northern water snakes are preyed on by large snakes, such as <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Lampropeltis/">milk snakes</a> and <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Coluber/">racers</a>, and by <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Procyon_lotor/">raccoons</a>, <span class="taxon-name">skunks</span>, and <a class="taxon-link" href="/accounts/Canidae/">foxes</a>.</p> <ul class="aside block-grid donthyphenate one-up"> <li> <dl> <dt>Known Predators</dt> <dd> <ul> <li>large snakes (<span class="taxon-name">Serpentes</span>)</li> <li>raccoons (<a class="taxon-link rank-species" href="/accounts/Procyon_lotor/">Procyon lotor</a>)</li> <li>skunks (<span class="taxon-name">Mephitinae</span>)</li> <li>foxes (<a class="taxon-link rank-family" href="/accounts/Canidae/">Canidae</a>)</li> </ul> </dd> </dl> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="ecosystem_roles">Ecosystem Roles</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Northern water snakes control the populations of their primary prey, including fish, amphibians, and other reptiles.</p> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="economic_importance_positive">Economic Importance for Humans: Positive</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Contrary to popular belief, northern water snakes are quite beneficial to fish populations. They feed on diseased and dying fish and help to control areas where overpopulation may exist and could stunt fish growth. This may actually help the sport fishing industry. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#a73d7d95a96cd424da9665f1b56b3f74" class="citation">Harding, 1997</a>)</span></p> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="economic_importance_negative">Economic Importance for Humans: Negative</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Northern water snakes could potentially be a problem for fish hatcheries and fish farms. <span class="citations"> (<a href="#a73d7d95a96cd424da9665f1b56b3f74" class="citation">Harding, 1997</a>)</span></p> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="conservation_status">Conservation Status</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Northern water snakes are abundant throughout their range.</p> <ul class="aside block-grid donthyphenate three-up"> <li> <dl> <dt> <a class="external-link" href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/">IUCN Red List</a> </dt> <dd> <span>Least Concern</span> <br /> <small> <a class="external-link" href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/62239"> More information </a> </small> </dd> </dl> </li> <li> <dl> <dt> <a class="external-link" href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/">IUCN Red List</a> </dt> <dd> <span>Least Concern</span> <br /> <small> <a class="external-link" href="http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/62239"> More information </a> </small> </dd> </dl> </li> <li> <dl> <dt> <a class="external-link" href="http://www.fws.gov/endangered/">US Federal List</a> </dt> <dd> <span>No special status</span> </dd> </dl> </li> <li> <dl> <dt> <a class="external-link" href="http://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php">CITES</a> </dt> <dd> <span>No special status</span> </dd> </dl> </li> <li> <dl> <dt> <a class="external-link" href="http://mnfi.anr.msu.edu/data/specialanimals.cfm">State of Michigan List</a> </dt> <dd> <span>No special status</span> </dd> </dl> </li> </ul> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="comments">Other Comments</h3> <p audience="advanced intermediate">Snakes of this species are often killed by people who are afraid of them, and confuse them with venomous species, such as rattlesnakes. Northern water snakes will bite if you bother them, but they are not venomous.</p> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="contributors">Contributors</h3> <p>Allison Poor (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. </p> <p>Merritt Gillilland (author), Michigan State University, James Harding (editor), Michigan State University. </p> </section> <section class="offscreen"> <h3 id="glossary">Glossary</h3> <div id="20020914235803"> <dl> <dt>Nearctic</dt> <dd> <p>living in the Nearctic biogeographic province, the northern part of the New World. This includes Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands, and all of the North American as far south as the highlands of central Mexico.</p> <p align="center"> <img alt="World Map" src="/images/worldmap.2001.jpg" /> </p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145320"> <dl> <dt>bog</dt> <dd> <p>a wetland area rich in accumulated plant material and with acidic soils surrounding a body of open water. Bogs have a flora dominated by sedges, heaths, and sphagnum.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145419"> <dl> <dt>carnivore</dt> <dd> <p>an animal that mainly eats meat</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020913233224"> <dl> <dt>carrion</dt> <dd> <p>flesh of dead animals.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145606"> <dl> <dt>chemical</dt> <dd> <p>uses smells or other chemicals to communicate</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145414"> <dl> <dt>diurnal</dt> <dd> <ol class="arabic simple"> <li>active during the day, 2. lasting for one day.</li> </ol> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145546"> <dl> <dt>fertilization</dt> <dd> <p>union of egg and spermatozoan</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145828"> <dl> <dt>forest</dt> <dd> <p>forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145747"> <dl> <dt>freshwater</dt> <dd> <p>mainly lives in water that is not salty.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020916125902"> <dl> <dt>heterothermic</dt> <dd> <p>having a body temperature that fluctuates with that of the immediate environment; having no mechanism or a poorly developed mechanism for regulating internal body temperature.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145403"> <dl> <dt>hibernation</dt> <dd> <p>the state that some animals enter during winter in which normal physiological processes are significantly reduced, thus lowering the animal's energy requirements. The act or condition of passing winter in a torpid or resting state, typically involving the abandonment of homoiothermy in mammals.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145554"> <dl> <dt>iteroparous</dt> <dd> <p>offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145363"> <dl> <dt>marsh</dt> <dd> <p>marshes are wetland areas often dominated by grasses and reeds.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145365"> <dl> <dt>native range</dt> <dd> <p>the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145610"> <dl> <dt>ovoviviparous</dt> <dd> <p>reproduction in which eggs develop within the maternal body without additional nourishment from the parent and hatch within the parent or immediately after laying.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145769"> <dl> <dt>pheromones</dt> <dd> <p>chemicals released into air or water that are detected by and responded to by other animals of the same species</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145840"> <dl> <dt>polygynous</dt> <dd> <p>having more than one female as a mate at one time</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145842"> <dl> <dt>riparian</dt> <dd> <p>Referring to something living or located adjacent to a waterbody (usually, but not always, a river or stream).</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145584"> <dl> <dt>seasonal breeding</dt> <dd> <p>breeding is confined to a particular season</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145786"> <dl> <dt>sexual</dt> <dd> <p>reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145381"> <dl> <dt>solitary</dt> <dd> <p>lives alone</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145679"> <dl> <dt>swamp</dt> <dd> <p>a wetland area that may be permanently or intermittently covered in water, often dominated by woody vegetation.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145500"> <dl> <dt>tactile</dt> <dd> <p>uses touch to communicate</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145792"> <dl> <dt>taiga</dt> <dd> <p>Coniferous or boreal forest, located in a band across northern North America, Europe, and Asia. This terrestrial biome also occurs at high elevations. Long, cold winters and short, wet summers. Few species of trees are present; these are primarily conifers that grow in dense stands with little undergrowth. Some deciduous trees also may be present.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145595"> <dl> <dt>temperate</dt> <dd> <p>that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145599::20020904145583::20020904145682"> <dl> <dt>tropical savanna and grassland</dt> <dd> <p>A terrestrial biome. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.</p> </dd> <dt>savanna</dt> <dd> <p>A grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome.</p> </dd> <dt>temperate grassland</dt> <dd> <p>A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5掳 N or S latitude). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands.</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145852"> <dl> <dt>vibrations</dt> <dd> <p>movements of a hard surface that are produced by animals as signals to others</p> </dd> </dl> </div> <div id="20020904145694"> <dl> <dt>visual</dt> <dd> <p>uses sight to communicate</p> </dd> </dl> </div> </section> <section class="hyphenate"> <h3 id="references">References</h3> <p id="844a4412eb1c994040766d85a96b0f36">Bauman, M., D. Metter. 1977. Reproductive cycle of the northern water snake, Nerodia sipedon (Reptilia, Serpentes, Colubridae). <span style="font-style: italic">Journal of Herpetology</span>, 11(1): 51-59. </p> <p id="d157182216e9d9476843d82e5de4df12">Behler, J., F. King. 1979. <span style="font-style: italic">The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians</span>. New York: Alfred A. Knoph, Inc.. </p> <p id="a73d7d95a96cd424da9665f1b56b3f74">Harding, J. 1997. <span style="font-style: italic">Amphibians and Reptiles of the Great Lakes Region</span>. Ann Arbor, Michigan: The University of Michigan Press. </p> <p id="9a6609b322ba57f442990f762358c8e7">Jordan, D. 1929. <span style="font-style: italic">Manual of the Vertebrate Animals</span>. New York: World Book Company. </p> <p id="e7a6b9273bdc3afbab5cae36b38534da">Tyning, T. 1990. <span style="font-style: italic">Stokes Nature Guides: A guide to Amphibians and Reptiles</span>. 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ADW: Nerodia sipedon: INFORMATION