Opheodrys aestivus
Silhouette: Alex Slavenko · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
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 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 48 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 28th most-seen of the 35 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July–September and November–May
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rough Green Snake in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in June and October, 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.
4th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Rough Green Snake sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Congaree National Park (United States, about 30%), Everglades National Park (United States, about 10%) and Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Colubridae
The closest relatives of the Rough Green Snake that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (family Colubridae, Colubrid Snakes) are North American Racer (about 30%), Banded Water Snake (about 20%) and Corn Snake (about 10%), 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 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (48 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.
