Community Structure of Herpetofauna Inhabiting Urban Canals in Southern Louisiana

Oliver Ljustina^1,*, Brian I. Crother¹, Jeramiah S. Doody², and Clifford L. Fontenot¹

¹Department of Biological Sciences, Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, LA 70402. ²Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL 33620. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 25, Issue 3 (2026): 326–340

First published early online: 12 August 2026

Abstract
Hydrologic features in urban areas serve as habitat for a variety of herpetofauna. Canals are common in many urban areas of the southeastern US, but their herpetofauna have been little explored in comparison to other hydrologic features such as urban ponds. In this study, we used visual encounter surveys to characterize community composition of herpetofauna inhabiting canals of variable physical structure in an urban area of southern Louisiana. As snakes are underrepresented in studies considering urban herpetofauna, we further include dietary and morphometric data for Nerodia (watersnakes) encountered during our surveys. We describe significant variation in herpetofaunal community structure, suggest factors responsible for observed variation, and include dietary and morphometric data for 3 species of watersnakes.

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