A slender, vivid bright-green snake that hunts insects and spiders in tree branches and shrubs. Completely harmless and so reluctant to bite that they're often kept as pets — though wild collection is depleting populations.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
Opheodrys aestivus, commonly known as the rough green snake, is a nonvenomous North American snake in the colubrid family. It is sometimes called grass snake or green grass snake, but these names are more commonly applied to the smooth green snake. The European colubrid called grass snake is not closely related. The rough green snake is docile, often allowing close approach by humans, and rarely bites. Even when bites occur, they have no venom and are harmless.
Source: Wikipedia — Opheodrys aestivus Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Long slender snake with bright lime-green back; pale yellow belly.
Similar species. Smooth Greensnake (smaller). Other green-bodied snakes.
Voice. N/A.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Almost exclusively soft-bodied invertebrates.
Behavior. Among the most arboreal native US snakes. Slender bright-green coloration provides exceptional camouflage among leaves.
§ Range
Southeastern and central US
§ Habitat
Dense shrubs, low vegetation near water, suburban gardens
§ Threats
Pesticide exposure (their insect prey accumulates pesticides), habitat loss, illegal pet collection.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the rough green snake is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Skip pesticides on flowering plants. Maintain native shrub layers. Don't collect from wild populations.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Opheodrys aestivus
- www.nwf.org — authoritative profile of Opheodrys aestivus
- IUCN Red List · taxon 63852
- iNaturalist · taxon 29381
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Opheodrys aestivus
§ Sources cited
- Davidson College Department of Biology
- IUCN Red List 2007
