Common Watersnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake

Adults are easy: a Common Watersnake is banded and blotched above with red, orange or yellow half-moons on the belly, and an adult Plain-bellied Watersnake is plain dark above with an unmarked red-orange or yellow belly. The young are harder, because both are boldly marked above. Turn to the belly if you can see it — half-moons mean Common, a plain belly means Plain-bellied. Above, a young Common Watersnake has wide crossbands near the head; a young Plain-bellied has rows of separate blotches. A young Plain-bellied Watersnake often shows clear, distinct vertical dark bars on its lip scales, with a darker, more uniform head.

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

More comparisons

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• Northern Cottonmouth vs. Common Watersnake
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• Graham's Crawfish Snake vs. Common Watersnake
• Banded Watersnake vs. Common Watersnake
• Broad-banded Copperhead vs. Common Watersnake
• Glossy Swampsnake vs. Common Watersnake
• Brown Watersnake vs. Common Watersnake
• Eastern Copperhead vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Plain-bellied Watersnake vs. Diamondback Watersnake
• Northern Cottonmouth vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Mississippi Green Watersnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Mudsnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Banded Watersnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Broad-banded Copperhead vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Glossy Swampsnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Saltmarsh Snake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Brazos River Watersnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Concho Watersnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Brown Watersnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Black Swampsnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake

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