Opheodrys aestivus
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Opheodrys aestivus, commonly known as the rough green snake, is a species of nonvenomous North American snake in the subfamily Colubrinae of the family Colubridae. The species is sometimes called grass snake or green grass snake, but these names are more commonly applied to the smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalis). The European colubrid called grass snake (Natrix natrix) 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.
The rough green snake (Opheodrys aestivus) is bright green above and has a yellowish belly, affording it excellent camouflage in green vegetation and making it difficult to see in the wild even though it is relatively common in its habitat. It has keeled dorsal scales, which are arranged in 17 rows at mid-body. It grows up to 116 cm (45+3⁄4 in) in total length (tail included) and is very thin.
The specific name, aestivus, is Latin for "summer" in reference to the species' green dorsal color. The generic name, Opheodrys, is derived from Greek ophios, meaning "serpent", and drys, "tree". Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape May County Park & Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Montgomery Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Little Rock Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Western North Carolina Nature Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Greenville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | San Antonio Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rough Green Snake sighting in Austin on a given day, based on 115 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 20th most-seen of the 37 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rough Green Snake in Austin on a given day, against under 5% in November to February, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rough Green Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Among the best
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Rough Green Snake sightings, Austin ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Dallas (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Rough Green Snake that you can see in Austin (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Plain-bellied Water Snake (about 30%), Western Rat Snake (about 30%) and Rough Earthsnake (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rough Green Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Austin (115 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
