Common Name
northern water snake

Iowa Range
throughout Iowa with the exception of the northwest corner

Habitat
virtually every swamp, marsh, pond, lake, or stream in its range

Description
The northern water snake has a distinctive coloration of many dark blotches dorsally and black or reddish lunate spots ventrally. Dorsal markings usually number at 30 or more and are separated by one scale row or less. Dark markings are wider than the lighter spaces between them.