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DIAMONDBACK WATERSNAKE
Nerodia rhombifer

Constrictor- Nonvenomous

The diamondback watersnake is predominantly brown, dark brown, or dark olive green in color, with a black net-like pattern along the back, with each spot being vaguely diamond-shaped. Dark vertical bars and lighter coloring are often present down the sides of the snake. The underside is generally a yellow or lighter brown color, often with black blotching. The dorsal scales are heavily keeled, giving the snake a rough texture.

This snake grows to an average total length (including tail) 30–48 inches. 

Diamond-backed watersnakes eat fish, especially slow-moving or dead fish, frogs, toads, and salamanders.
 
The diamondback water snake is the largest watersnake in Missouri. It is found predominantly near slow-moving bodies of water such as streams, rivers, ponds, or swamps. It will fight fiercely to defend itself, but it is harmless.
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Absent from the Ozarks, common in the southeastern corner, north along the Mississippi River floodplain, and in northern Missouri in the Missouri river floodplain. 
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