Opheodrys is a
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
of small
colubridA colubrid is a snake that is a member of the family Colubridae. It is a broad classification of snakes that includes about two thirds of all snake species on earth...
snakeSnakes are elongate legless carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s commonly referred to as
green snakes. The genus consists of two distinct
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
with five recognized
subspeciesSubspecies in biological classification, is 1) a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, or 2) a taxonomic unit, a taxon in that rank...
.
- Rough Green Snake, Opheodrys aestivus
The Rough Green Snake is a non-venomous North American snake. It is sometimes Grass Snake or Green Grass Snake, but these names are more commonly applied to the Smooth Green Snake, Opheodrys vernalis...
- Northern Rough Green Snake, Opheodrys aestivus aestivus (Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature...
, 1766)
- Florida Rough Green Snake, Opheodrys aestivus carinatus (Grobman, 1984)
- Smooth Green Snake, Opheodrys vernalis
- Western Smooth Green Snake, Opheodrys vernalis blanchardi (Grobman, 1941)
- Eastern Smooth Green Snake, Opheodrys vernalis vernalis (Harlan, 1827)
- Opheodrys vernalis borealis (Grobman, 1992)
Green snakes are found throughout the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, southern
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and northern
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Green snakes are so named because they are typically solid
greenGreen is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
in color with a cream colored or
yellowYellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–580 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of somewhat longer and shorter wavelengths...
underside.
Opheodrys is a
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
of small
colubridA colubrid is a snake that is a member of the family Colubridae. It is a broad classification of snakes that includes about two thirds of all snake species on earth...
snakeSnakes are elongate legless carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s commonly referred to as
green snakes. The genus consists of two distinct
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
with five recognized
subspeciesSubspecies in biological classification, is 1) a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, or 2) a taxonomic unit, a taxon in that rank...
.
Species
- Rough Green Snake, Opheodrys aestivus
The Rough Green Snake is a non-venomous North American snake. It is sometimes Grass Snake or Green Grass Snake, but these names are more commonly applied to the Smooth Green Snake, Opheodrys vernalis...
- Northern Rough Green Snake, Opheodrys aestivus aestivus (Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature...
, 1766)
- Florida Rough Green Snake, Opheodrys aestivus carinatus (Grobman, 1984)
- Smooth Green Snake, Opheodrys vernalis
- Western Smooth Green Snake, Opheodrys vernalis blanchardi (Grobman, 1941)
- Eastern Smooth Green Snake, Opheodrys vernalis vernalis (Harlan, 1827)
- Opheodrys vernalis borealis (Grobman, 1992)
Range
Green snakes are found throughout the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, southern
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and northern
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Description
Green snakes are so named because they are typically solid
greenGreen is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
in color with a cream colored or
yellowYellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–580 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of somewhat longer and shorter wavelengths...
underside. They are thin bodied snakes that rarely exceed 90 cm (around 36 inches) in length. They have large
eyeEyes are organs that detect light, and send electrical impulses along the optic nerve to the visual and other areas of the brain. Complex optical systems with resolving power have come in ten fundamentally different forms, and 96% of animal species possess a complex optical system...
s and blunt shaped heads.
Behavior and Diet
Green snakes are often found in dense, low lying vegetation near a permanent water source. They have been known to follow human activity. They rely on their color for camouflage and will usually attempt to escape if threatened. Their primary
dietIn nutrition, the diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. Although humans are omnivores, each culture holds some food preferences and some food taboos. Individual...
is soft bodied
arthropodAn arthropod is an invertebrate that has an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed attachments called appendages. Arthropods are animals belonging to the Phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s, including
cricketsCrickets, family Gryllidae , are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets . They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae. There are about 900 species of crickets...
,
spiderSpiders are air-breathing chelicerate arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae modified into fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s,
mothA moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. The differences between butterflies and moths are more than just taxonomy. Sometimes the names "Rhopalocera" and "Heterocera" are used to formalize the popular distinction...
s,
butterfliesA butterfly is an insect of the order Lepidoptera. Like all Lepidoptera, butterflies are notable for their unusual life cycle with a larval caterpillar stage, an inactive pupal stage, and a spectacular metamorphosis into a familiar and colourful winged adult form. Most species are day-flying so...
, and
grasshopperThe grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as short-horned grasshoppers...
s. Green snakes are oviparous.
In Captivity
Green snakes are often kept in captivity. They hold no particular conservation status, so specimens caught in the wild are readily available in the exotic
petA pet is an animal kept for companionship and enjoyment or a household animal, as opposed to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful characteristics, for their attractive...
trade. In the northern areas of their range,
O. vernalis is more commonly sold, and in the south
O. aestivus is more commonly sold.
Some states restrict the ownership of species that occur naturally, even if they are not threatened or endangered. For example,
GeorgiaGeorgia is a state in the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution, it had been the last of the Thirteen Colonies to be established, in 1733. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January...
prohibits the ownership of some indigenous species, regardless of its origin. Captive breeding is not commonplace. They make relatively good captives, but can be prone to stress if not kept in a naturalistic vivarium that makes them feel secure. Their insect diet makes them attractive to
reptileReptiles, or members of the class Reptilia, are air-breathing, generally "cold-blooded" amniotes that generally have skin covered in scales or scutes. They are tetrapods and lay amniote eggs, whose embryos are surrounded by the amnion membrane...
keepers that do not wish to deal with a
rodentRodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing....
eating snake.