Opheodrys
Encyclopedia
Opheodrys is a genus
of small to medium-sized colubrid
snake
s commonly referred to as green snakes. In North America the genus consists of two distinct species
with five recognized subspecies
. As their common names imply, the Rough Green Snake has keeled dorsal scales
, whereas the Smooth Green Snake
has smooth dorsal scales
.
The genus Opheodrys also includes two Asian species. O. herminae is endemic to Japan, and O. major is endemic to Central/South China, Taiwan, N. Vietnam and Laos.
, southern Canada
, northern Mexico
, Japan, China, and Southeast Asia.
in color dorsally, with a cream-colored or yellow
underside. They are thin-bodied snakes that rarely exceed 90 cm (around 36 inches) in length. They have large eye
s and blunt shaped heads.
is soft bodied arthropod
s, including crickets
, spider
s, moth
s, butterflies
, and grasshopper
s. Green snakes are oviparous.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of small to medium-sized colubrid
Colubrid
A colubrid is a member of the snake family Colubridae. This broad classification of snakes includes about two-thirds of all snake species on earth. The earliest species of the snake family date back to the Oligocene epoch. With 304 genera and 1,938 species, Colubridae is the largest snake family...
snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s commonly referred to as green snakes. In North America the genus consists of two distinct species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
with five recognized subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
. As their common names imply, the Rough Green Snake has keeled dorsal scales
Dorsal scales
In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales.When counting dorsal scales, numbers are often given for three points along the body, for example 19:21:17...
, whereas the Smooth Green Snake
Smooth Green Snake
The smooth green snake is a non-venomous North American colubrid. It is also referred to as the grass snake.-Description:...
has smooth dorsal scales
Dorsal scales
In snakes, the dorsal scales are the longitudinal series of plates that encircle the body, but do not include the ventral scales.When counting dorsal scales, numbers are often given for three points along the body, for example 19:21:17...
.
Species
- Rough Green Snake, Opheodrys aestivusOpheodrys aestivusThe rough green snake is a nonvenomous North American colubrid. It is sometimes called grass snake or green grass snake, but these names are more commonly applied to the smooth green snake . The European colubrid called grass snake is unrelated...
- Northern Rough Green Snake, Opheodrys aestivus aestivus (LinnaeusCarolus LinnaeusCarl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
, 1766) - Florida Rough Green Snake, Opheodrys aestivus carinatus Grobman, 1984
- Northern Rough Green Snake, Opheodrys aestivus aestivus (Linnaeus
- Smooth Green Snake, Opheodrys vernalis
- Western Smooth Green Snake, Opheodrys vernalis blanchardi Grobman, 1941
- Eastern Smooth Green Snake, Opheodrys vernalis vernalis (HarlanRichard HarlanRichard Harlan was an American naturalist, zoologist, physicist and paleontologist....
, 1827) - Opheodrys vernalis borealis Grobman, 1992
The genus Opheodrys also includes two Asian species. O. herminae is endemic to Japan, and O. major is endemic to Central/South China, Taiwan, N. Vietnam and Laos.
- Sakashima Green SnakeSakashima Green SnakeThe Sakashima Green Snake, Opheodrys herminae, is a species of snake in the Colubridae family. It is endemic to Japan.-References:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. . Downloaded on 28 July 2007....
, Opheodrys herminae (Boettger, 1895) - Greater Green SnakeGreater Green SnakeThe Greater Green Snake is a snake of the family Colubridae found in China, Taiwan, and Vietnam.-Description:...
, Opheodrys major (Günther, 1858) = Cyclophiops major (Günther, 1858)
Geographic range
Green snakes are found throughout the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, southern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, northern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Japan, China, and Southeast Asia.
Description
Green snakes are so named because they are typically solid greenGreen
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
in color dorsally, with a cream-colored or yellow
Yellow
Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
underside. They are thin-bodied snakes that rarely exceed 90 cm (around 36 inches) in length. They have large eye
Eye
Eyes are organs that detect light and convert it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons. The simplest photoreceptors in conscious vision connect light to movement...
s and blunt shaped heads.
Behavior and diet
Green snakes are often found in dense, low lying vegetation near a permanent water source. They have been known to follow human activity. They rely on their color for camouflage and will usually attempt to escape if threatened. Their primary dietDiet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
is soft bodied arthropod
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s, including crickets
Cricket (insect)
Crickets, family Gryllidae , are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers, and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets . They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae. There are about 900 species of crickets...
, spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
s, moth
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
s, butterflies
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
, and grasshopper
Grasshopper
The grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper...
s. Green snakes are oviparous.
External links
- Smooth Green Snake - Opheodrys vernalis Species account from the Iowa Reptile and Amphibian Field Guide
- Georgia Department of Natural Resources -- Laws Related to Native Wildlife