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Abstract
Mercury (Hg) and radiocesium (137Cs) are well-known environmental contaminants with the potential to impact the health of humans and wildlife. Despite having several ecological characteristics conducive to studying environmental contamination, snakes have rarely been included in biological monitoring efforts of polluted sites. I investigated the accumulation of Hg and 137Cs and associations between contaminants and sublethal effects, standard metabolic rate and hemoparasite infections, in Florida green watersnakes (Nerodia floridana) on the United States Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site (SRS). I also compared Hg accumulation and hemoparasite infection between N. floridana and banded watersnakes (N. fasciata), in former nuclear cooling reservoirs and Carolina bays of the SRS. My results demonstrate the use of watersnakes as ecological indicators and suggest interspecific differences, and that habitat and subsequently prey resources can be important determinants of accumulation of environmental contaminants and exposure to infections by hemoparasites.