Nerodia floridana
Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Nerodia floridana, commonly known as the Florida green watersnake, or eastern green watersnake, is a harmless species of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is native to the southeastern United States.
N. floridana is the largest watersnake in North America. Fully grown it will typically reach 76–140 cm (30–55 in) in total length (including tail), with the record-sized specimen having measured 188 cm (74 in) in total length. Its coloration is solid grey or greenish-brownish with a white or yellow belly in adults, which darkens in color under the tail. Encircling the lower half of the eye is a row of scales, which is separate from the upper lip scales. Among all southeastern U.S. snakes, only the green water snake has this feature. Juveniles have typically, about 50 dark crossbars on the dorsum and on the sides, which fade gradually with age.
N. floridana is found in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. In southern South Carolina it is commonly found in open, marshy wetland areas. It is rarely found in rivers or streams. It prefers choked vegetation and calm waters such as swamps... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoo Miami | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Florida Green Watersnake sighting in Miami on a given day, based on 164 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 24th most-seen of the 58 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 to August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Florida Green Watersnake in Miami on a given day, against under 5% in September, the lowest month.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Florida Green Watersnake sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Miami, in our data
Miami is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Florida Green Watersnake sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Nerodia
The closest relatives of the Florida Green Watersnake that you can see in Miami (genus Nerodia, Watersnakes) are Brown Watersnake (about 10%) and Banded Water Snake (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Florida Green Watersnake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Miami (164 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.
