Northern water snake is among the most bumped into reptiles in the world. It is among the non-venomous Illinois snakes but can easily defend itself through biting when threatened. This particular snake type usually gets aggressive and most times prefer climbing on tree branches on top of water bodies for relaxation. If these snakes feel disturbed they will jump into water sometimes in the process jump into the boat moving across the water.



The appearance
Northern water snake can appear brownish, reddish or even gray in color. Some usually have dark cross band right on their neck as well as blotches and dark strips all over their body. For this reason, it is mostly mistaken to be either cottonmouth or copperhead snake. Their colors usually become darker as they age.

Biology and life cycle
Starting from the month of April through June, the Naperville Northern Water snake usually mate and reproduce. They are known to be ovoviviparous in mature as they do not lay eggs like other reptiles instead they usually born their babies alive. Due to their secluded lifestyles they have high life cycle more than other snake species.

Diet and habitat
Mustkrat houses and beaver houses are among the place you can likely find this Illinois snake. They sometimes usually hide themselves inside plant sticks or stems and mostly found inside canals, ponds, marches, rivers, as well as lakes. Also, they are mostly found in the place with easy access to fresh water and mostly share their dens in the winter with other snake species like, copperhead snakes and black rat snakes. For their diets they mostly feed on fishes, frogs, larger animals and others.

Behavior
Naperville northern water snake is known to be active both in the night and day. They can easily be found moving around in the stumps, bush and even rocks during the day. When they want to go hunting they usually go to the water edges where they can find different kinds of animals. Some of the animals they usually hunt include: birds leeches, crayfish, fish, frogs, worms and even salamanders.

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