Broad Banded Water Snake

The Broad Banded Water Snake is one of seven nonpoisonous water snakes found in Texas. ¹ It is readily identifiable as this one (sorry for the poor quality. Will try to replace the photo later with a better one) was at Mercer Arboretum, near The Woodlands Texas. They live in trees, on the ground and in the water, searching for food. When small, they eat small fish by roaming the water with their mouth open. As they get larger, they move on to frogs and small shore creatures. This snake is harmless except it will bite like all snakes. In its mouth it excretes an anticoagulant, so a bite can take a few minutes to stop bleeding. It is not a poisonous venom. This species is sometimes considered to be a pet growing up to about 3 feet. It can be handled with care. However, it belongs to the wild and should stay there. It matures in three years and produces live babies. One will often find a banded snake within 50 feet from the shore of a lake, river or creek, or swimming in the water. Remember though that all snakes can and will swim. Not all snakes climb. Rarely does a poisonous snake climb into trees. The Banded Water Snake will oftentimes be found in limbs of trees overhanging a body of water.

References:
¹Watersnakes