Lake Erie Watersnake Declared Recovered

The Lake Erie watersnake is the 23rd species to be delisted from the Endangered Species Act due to its recovery. Not as glamorous as the bald eagle or American alligator, the Lake Erie watersnake is a harmless snake species found on offshore islands in western Lake Erie.

An article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer says the round goby, an invasive fish, and a public education campaign were keys to the species’ recovery:

The arrival of round gobies in Lake Erie – a bottom dwelling fish that came from the Black and Caspian seas via ballast water from ships – crowded out native fish like madtom, stonecat, and longperch, but helped Lake Erie watersnakes rebound.

 Read the US Fish and Wildlife press release here. (Most media coverage is a rehash of the release.) The release has links to a fact sheet on the snake, and the final rule. The Cleveland Plain Dealer story goes beyond the release.

The state of Ohio will retain the snake on its list of endangered species.

Photo: A very cooperative Lake Erie watersnake (bottom of photo), photo courtesy of the US Fish and Wildlife Service

2 thoughts on “Lake Erie Watersnake Declared Recovered

  1. Well, water snake is the most furious species on the earth, most of the times people got confused that water snake is poisonous but only 10% of snake all over world are poisonous. If you know them better than you realize that they are smartest species living out since the day earth took its first breath.

    Water snake

  2. Well, water snake is the most furious species on the earth, most of the times people got confused that water snake is poisonous but only 10% of snake all over world are poisonous. If you know them better than you realize that they are smartest species living out since the day earth took its first breath.

    Water snake

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