Crossbands may be obscured as snake darkens with age. Belly is creamy yellow with wormlike red or black markings. Scales are keeled and there are 23-27 dorsal scale rows at midbody. The pupil is round. A dark stripe extends from the eye to the angle of the jaw.
Juveniles have very clear red or black crossbands on light background.
Juvenile Florida banded watersnake. Kenneth L. Krysko photo. In Florida, this subspecies is found throughout the peninsula, excluding the Florida Keys. Outside the state it occurs in extreme southeastern Georgia and has been introduced to Brownsville, Texas. The Florida banded watersnake can be found in nearly all freshwater habitats, preferring the shallow waters of swamps, marshes, ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers.