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Species authority page

Rough green snake

Opheodrys aestivus · Snakes · Reptiles

Rough green snake (Opheodrys aestivus): Small, thin snake, uniform green above; underside, chin and lip scales yellowish-green to cream. Juveniles resemble smaller adults but are lighter in colour. This profile does not establish whether taking it is legal anywhere.

Check rules for a place and date

Certified rules currently represented in Hunt: coverage in development. This is coverage, not a legal answer.

Scientific name
Opheodrys aestivus
Family
Colubridae
In North America
Native
Range
Southeastern United States, north to southern New Jersey, through Florida to the Keys, west to central Oklahoma and Texas and into northern Mexico. Not in Canada.
Biology

How to identify it

Small, thin snake, uniform green above; underside, chin and lip scales yellowish-green to cream. [1][2]

Juveniles resemble smaller adults but are lighter in colour. [1][2]

Females longer and heavier; males have a longer tail; average lengths about 947 mm (females) and 892 mm (males). [1][2]

Field knowledge

Where it lives

Dense vegetation (vines, shrubs, trees) near water, at forest edges and in fairly open forests, overgrown pasture, thickets and marsh edges. [1][2]

Field knowledge

How it behaves

Diurnal and largely arboreal; sleeps coiled on branch ends near shorelines, less arboreal in spring and fall. [1][2]

Insectivore hunting by sight: crickets, grasshoppers, caterpillars and spiders. [1][2]

Flees into dense vegetation rather than biting; active roughly April-November in the north, hibernates in winter; may nest communally. [1][2]

Regulatory handoff

Limited legal take

Legal take of this species exists only under narrow conditions — a quota, a draw, a permit, a small area, or animals released or held on private land — set by the authorities below. Nowhere else is a legal opportunity implied, and Hunt shows one only where a certified rule establishes it.

Where legal take is listed

Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.

Geospatial intelligence

Where it is found

Southeastern United States, north to southern New Jersey, through Florida to the Keys, west to central Oklahoma and Texas and into northern Mexico. Not in Canada.

Biology

Sources

Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.

  1. NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30

    NatureServe

  2. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web · reviewed 2026-09-30

    University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web