The Florida banded water snake begins its life as most water snakes do: by being born alive rather than hatching from an egg (like many other snake species).

These harmless snakes can vary widely in color, from a reddish tint to mostly black. Sometimes you can see the bands and sometimes they're more obscure.

This snake is often mistaken for the Florida cottonmouth, but the banded water snake has a smaller and less V-shaped head and a round pupil.