Nerodia floridana
Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
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 |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Florida Green Watersnake sighting in Everglades National Park on a given day, based on 169 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 21st most-seen of the 54 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Florida Green Watersnake in Everglades National Park on a given day, against about 20% in January–February, May and August–November, the lowest months. That is one of Everglades National Park's wettest months, with about 240 mm of rain against 40 mm in March.
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.
2nd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Florida Green Watersnake sightings, Everglades National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 40%).
Same genus: Nerodia
The closest relatives of the Florida Green Watersnake that you can see in Everglades National Park (genus Nerodia, Watersnakes) are Banded Water Snake (about 30%), Saltmarsh Snake (about 20%) and Brown Watersnake (about 20%), 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 Everglades National Park (169 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
