what do northern water snakes eat
What do they eat? Northern water snakes are carnivores and scavengers. They eat a variety of prey items, including amphibians (adults and tadpoles), fish (alive or dead), crayfish, large insects, leeches, other snakes, turtles, birds, and small mammals such as white-footed mice.
Northern Water Snakes eat mostly cold-blooded prey; small fish make up the largest part of the diet, followed in frequency by frogs, tadpoles, aquatic salamanders, and crayfish. Insects and earthworms are occasionally consumed, particularly by young snakes, while small mammals (mice, shrews) are rarely taken.