Regina septemvittata
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The queen snake (Regina septemvittata) is a species of nonvenomous semiaquatic snake, a member of the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to North America. Regina septemvittata is known by many common names, including the following: banded water snake, brown queen snake, diamond-back water snake, leather snake, moon snake, North American seven-banded snake, olive water snake, pale snake, queen water snake, seven-striped water snake, striped water snake, three-striped water snake, willow snake, and yellow-bellied snake.
Regina septemvittata ranges through the temperate region of North America east of the Mississippi River from western New York state to Wisconsin and south to Alabama and northern Florida. There is also an isolated population in Arkansas that was discovered in 1894 and is thought to be an effect of climate change during the Pleiostene era. It is also found in the southwestern parts of Ontario.
Decreases in queen snake populations can be most attributed to a loss of food sources through stream channelization, bank erosion, and water pollution. The queen snake is similar in appearance... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Queen Snake sighting in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 17th most-seen of the 27 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Queen Snake in Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January to March, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Queen Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in our data
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Queen Snake sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Queen Snake that you can see in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are Common Watersnake (about 50%), Eastern/Central Ratsnake Complex (about 40%) and Common Garter Snake (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Queen Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (27 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.
