Interactions
Northern Banded Water Snakes play a very large role in their respective environments, and although they are mainly the hunters of the ecosystem, they can also sometimes be the hunted.
The snakes help to control the populations of their primary prey items including: fish, smaller reptiles and some amphibian species. While these snakes are primary predators themselves, they also have to worry about avoiding predators that are looking to make a meal out of the snakes. Some of the predators these snakes have to avoid are: the Barred Owl, Gray Wolves, Bald Eagles, Red-Tailed Hawks, along with other birds of prey, predatory mammals and larger species of snakes.
Photo by Karen Laubenstein Photo by John and Karen Hollingsworth
Although most people would consider these snakes to be relatively insignificant in the big picture of live, they actually do cause positive and negative affects in human life. On the negative side, Nerodia sipeda have been known to disturb fish hatcheries. The snakes also contribute to human society in a positive manor. They help to control fish populations by weeding out the weak and diseases to prevent overpopulation.