Smooth green snake
| Smooth green snake | |
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| A smooth green snake in Ontario | |
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| Species: | O. vernalis
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| Binomial name | |
| Opheodrys vernalis (Harlan, 1827)
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The smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalis) is a non-venomous North American colubrid. It is also referred to as the grass snake.
Description
The smooth green snake is slender.[2] Its size is classified as a "small medium" snake, reaching to 36–51 cm as an adult. The largest smooth green snake was measured as being 66 cm (26 in) long.[3] It is uniform light green on its back, with a yellow or white belly, and has smooth dorsal scales,[4] unlike those of the rough green snake. When a smooth green snake is first born, its scales are a different color than when it ages.[2] It can be olive green, blue-gray, or even brown when it is first born, and turn its characteristic green after its skin sheds for the first time. Typical for a non-venomous snake, its eyes are large and round. It uses its tongue, red with a black end, by flicking it in and out of its mouth to "smell" what is around it.[5]
Subspecies
- Eastern smooth green snake, Opheodrys vernalis vernalis (Harlan, 1827)
- Western smooth green snake, Opheodrys vernalis blanchardi Grobman, 1941
- Northern smooth green snake, Opheodrys vernalis borealis Grobman, 1992[6]
Geographic range
The smooth green snake is only native to the Nearctic region. The range spreads through northeastern Canada, west to Saskatchewan, and south through Illinois and Virginia. It can also be found in other areas such as Wyoming, New Mexico, Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, Teas, and northern Mexico.[7]
Threats
It is hunted by various predators, including the red-tailed hawk, great blue heron, rough-legged buzzard, bears, raccoons, foxes, and the common house cat. Humans also find these snakes in the wild and keep them for pets.[8] The smooth green snake population is also declining due to the use of pesticides, as well as destruction of habitats.[9]
Conservation status
The snake is of least concern in terms of conservation, but the concern is increasing in the U.S.[10]
Habitat
The snake can be found in many different habitats, including marshes, meadows, the edges of streams, and open woods. It prefers to be on the ground, in opens areas without a lot of shrubs. During hibernation, the smooth green snake looks for burrows, ant hills, and other dug-out underground areas, normally gathering in large numbers.[2] It prefers moist habitats and areas near a permanent water source, usually staying in green areas for camouflage.[5][10] Enjoying warmth, it likes to lay on rocks and logs, also using them for hiding.[7]
Behavior
Smooth green snakes rely greatly on the environment for camouflage in order to protect themselves from predators. If threatened, a smooth green snake will usually flee. They are docile snakes, they seldom bite and they usually allow humans to come close.[10] If provoked, they can secrete a substance from its anal gland, causing a foul smell.[8] When handled by humans, it usually shows exited behavior and calms down after wrapping itself around a finger. When it hunts, it turns its head from side to side, finding prey with its tongue and an organ on the roof of its mouth that interprets chemical signals. It has no ears, relying on vibrations to figure out its surroundings. Also, the snake has no eyelids, but its sight is relatively strong over short distances. Due to stretchy ligaments in its jaw, it can swallow prey whole, even those that are larger than its own body diameter. It can shed its skin as often as every 4 to 5 weeks, allowing for growth.[8]
During months when the weather is warmer, the snake tends to be active; while in the winter months, when the weather is cool, it hibernates in groups. Ant hills and rodent burrows are utilized during hibernation as part-time homes. The snake is usually active during the day, but during warmer months, it can also be found at night.[9]
Diet
Smooth green snakes mostly eat insects and spiders. However, they will also eat millipedes, centipedes, salamanders, and slugs.[2]
Reproduction
The snake mates in the late spring or summer, laying its eggs sometime from June to September. Usually, two clutches are laid, each containing 4-6 eggs. Females usually lay their eggs in rodent burrows, mounds of rotting vegetation, sawdust piles, or rotting logs.[11] Smooth green snake eggs are white and oval. They have thin shells and tend to be about one inch in length.[5] The eggs tend to hatch 4–23 days after being laid.[11]
References
- ^ Template:IUCN2008
- ^ a b c d "Smooth green snake". Townson University. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ Conant 1975
- ^ Schmidt 1941
- ^ a b c "Northern Rockies Natural History Guide". The University of Montana. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- ^ Grobman, Arnold B. (1999). "Metamerism in the Snake Opheodrys vernalis, with a Description of a New Subspecies". Journal of Herpetology. 26 (2): 175–186.
{{cite journal}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - ^ a b "Smooth Green Snake". The Regents of the University of Michigan. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
- ^ a b c Gregory, Adam. "Western Smooth Green Snake". South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and and Parks, Division of Wildlife, Pierre, SD. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ a b "Smooth Green Snake". Lincoln Park Zoo. Retrieved 29 November 2011.
- ^ a b c The Illustrated Encyclopedia of North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Mobilereference. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
- ^ a b "Smooth Green Snake". UMassAmherst. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
Bibliography
- Conant, Roger (1975). A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America (2nd ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|Last2=and|First2=(help); Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Schmidt, K.P.; Davis, D.D. (1941). Field Book of Snakes of the United States and Canada. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Wright, A.H.; Wright, D.D. (1957). Handbook of Snakes of the United States and Canada. Ithaca and London: Comstock.
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