Water snake
The dice snake (Natrix tessellata ) is a Eurasian nonvenomous snake belonging to the family Colubridae, subfamily Natricinae. It is also called water snake.
The Dice snake is a nonvenomous snake found in Eurasia. Its color may vary from greyish green to brownish or almost black, with dark spots on the back. The belly is sometimes vividly colored in yellow or orange, with black spots, very similar to dice, hence the name. Females of this species are bigger than males.
Dice snakes occur through much of Eurasia and are also present in Egypt. They live near rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, and the surrounding grasslands. They can also be found in coastal areas and frequent plantations and urban areas.
Dice snakes are terrestrial and spend much of their time in the water hunting for fish and other aquatic animals. When feeling threatened, they spread a very bad-smelling secretion from their cloaca or play dead. Dice snakes are generally solitary but during the mating season, they congregate in large groups. Starting October they hide in dry holes near the water where they hibernate until April.
Dice snakes are carnivores (piscivores) and frequently feed on fish. Sometimes, they will also take amphibians such as frogs, toads, and tadpoles.
The breeding season of Dice snakes takes place between March and May and egg-laying is usually in July. The female lays a clutch of 10-30 eggs which hatch in early September.
Dice snakes are not considered endangered at present, however, they suffer from loss of the wetland habitat in some areas of their range, pollution, roadkill, persecution by people, and collection for the pet trade.
According to IUCN, the Dice snake is locally common throughout its range but no overall population estimate is available. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.
