Northern Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus aestivus)
Description:
The northern rough greensnake is a slender, light green snake that lives among the branches of trees and shrubs. The upperside color is plain light green; the belly is yellow or cream colored and devoid of any markings. The scales along the back and sides are weakly keeled, making it feel rough to the touch. The anal plate (the last belly scale, which covers the anal opening) is divided. This snake has an elongated body and a long, slender tail, allowing its body weight to be evenly spread across the branches and leaves of trees and bushes.
Habitat: The preferred habitat is moist meadows and woodlands, often near water. It is highly arboreal, frequently found climbing in low vegetation, and is also a good swimmer. However, it is often found on the ground as well. Unlike many snakes, it is largely diurnal. At night it is found coiled in the branches of trees. Preference is given to perches based upon distance from the shoreline, height of branches, and thickness of the individual branch.
Range: SE USA (Texas, Oklahoma, E Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, S Illinois, S Indiana, S Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, extreme S Pennsylvania)
Diet: The diet of rough greensnakes is predominantly insects and spiders. More specifically, their prey mostly includes spiders, hairless caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, dragonflies, and damselflies . Rough greensnakes also may eat young treefrogs, land snails, praying mantids, wood roaches, katydids, and walking sticks.
Reproduction: Mating occurs in the spring and sometimes during autumn. Egg laying occurs in June and July, about 35 days after mating. Pregnant females leave the safety of trees to find nesting spots in deep leaf litter, under brush piles, behind the loose bark of a standing dead tree, or in or rotten logs or stumps. The female produces 1 to 14 eggs, with an average of 6. Larger females produce more eggs than smaller females. There is only 1 clutch per year. Incubation usually lasts up to about 2 months (22 to 91 days), with most clutches hatching in August and September. Male rough greensnakes are reproductively mature at the age of 1 year, and females are mature at age 2 or 3. They may survive to age 8 in the wild.
Status: Listed as Least Concern in view of the large and probably relatively stable extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, number of subpopulations, and population size. No major threats are known.
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Disclaimer: ITIS taxonomy is based on the latest scientific consensus available, and is provided as a general reference source for interested parties. However, it is not a legal authority for statutory or regulatory purposes. While every effort has been made to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available, ultimate legal requirements with respect to species are contained in provisions of treaties to which the United States is a party, wildlife statutes, regulations, and any applicable notices that have been published in the Federal Register. For further information on U.S. legal requirements with respect to protected taxa, please contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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