Who are these Lake Erie watersnakes anyway?

With almost two full weeks of the fund raising campaign completed, I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has pledged to back my project! Every donation counts and I'm truly honored to have your support for this research. If you haven't donated yet, I wanted to let you know that there are prizes for the most number of donors, as well as the most money raised, so donating even a few dollars is meaningful.

And now, back to the science! Here's some background information about Lake Erie watersnakes and ophidiomycosis.

The Lake Erie watersnake (Nerodia sipedon insularum) is a subspecies of the northern watersnake. They are non-venomous and grow to 1.5 to 3.5 feet in length. Their appearance ranges from uniform grey to incomplete banding to full banding, the latter resembling the northern watersnake. They are found exclusively on islands in western Lake Erie, living on the cliffs, ledges and rocky shorelines and foraging in the nearshore waters. 90% of their diet consists of the invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), which became established in the Great Lakes in the 1990s, and 10% is mudpuppies and native fish.

 

Baby watersnake!

The species was placed on the list of federally endangered and threatened species in 1999, primarily due to habitat destruction and human persecution. After enormous efforts by biologists and local snake enthusiasts toward public education and habitat preservation, the population rebounded and they were de-listed in 2011.

 

Signs around the islands encourage residents and tourists to protect the snakes

Ophidiomycosis was first diagnosed in this species during a large die-off event in 2009 and skin lesions have been observed regularly during annual population surveys. In 2018, up to 55% of snakes were affected by the disease, depending on the site. The population is monitored year-round by researchers at The Ohio State University’s Stone Lab and the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab at the University of Illinois is conducting several projects to study ophidiomycosis in this species.

 

A Lake Erie watersnake is examined for ophidiomycosis lesions

Check out the link below for more information about this species! https://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/reptiles/lews/le-facts.html Thanks for reading and sharing and donating!

~Ellen