Lake Erie Water Snake

Nerodia sipedon insularum

As its name suggests, the Lake Erie water snake is found only in a small area of lake Erie. It is a non-venomous snake with a large head. It stays along the water during the summer, but moves inland to hibernate. The main reason for its decline is habitat destruction, although human predation and pesticide pollution are also problems. There is a recovery effort in place to help the lake erie water snake move off of Ontario's endangered species list.