Thamnophis saurita
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Thamnophis saurita, also known as the eastern ribbon snake, common ribbon snake, or simply ribbon snake, is a common species of garter snake native to Eastern North America. It is a non-venomous species of snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. The ribbon snake averages 16 to 35 inches (41 to 89 cm) in total length (including tail). It is dark brown with bright yellow stripes. The ribbon snake is not sexually dimorphic; however, females are normally thicker than their male counterparts.
The ribbon snake can be found in wet climates such as lakes, streams, ponds and marshes. The ribbon snake is active from April to October and hibernates during the winter months. Maturity is reached around 3 years of age.
Ranges from New York to Florida, west to the Mississippi River. 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 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ecomuseum Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Ribbon Snake sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 15th most-seen of the 35 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Ribbon Snake in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in June, the lowest month. Those are among Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge's driest months, with about 60 mm of rain a month against 210 mm in September.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ribbon Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Ribbon Snake sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 30%) and Everglades National Park (United States, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ribbon Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (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.
