CreatureData

Greensnake

Opheodrys aestivus (Linnaeus, 1766)

Status not recordedsnakes

The greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus) is a species in the family Colubridae, order Squamata. Recorded adults reach 79.3 cm in length and live up to 7.2 years.

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Quick facts about the greensnake

Weight
Not recorded
Length
79.3 cmsrc for Length
Lifespan
7.2 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Carnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
15 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
45.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
6 – 6.9src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
18 months – 2 yearssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1 – 1.5src for Litters or clutches a year
Reproduction
Eggssrc for Reproduction
Active
By day (diurnal)src for Active
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the greensnake?

GREENSNAKE · LENGTH 79.3 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 79.3 cm, the recorded maximum length of the greensnake is about 47% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

What eats the greensnake?

Species recorded in published studies and collections.

Recorded predators of the greensnake

2 on record

  1. Racer Coluber constrictor8 sources
  2. Eastern coral snake Micrurus fulvius2 sources

Each pair is recorded by at least two independent datasets. A record shows the animal was seen or found to have eaten the other, including scavenged carcasses and young animals; it does not say how often. Compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (CC0 1.0).

References for these records
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/2973492
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/3406468
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/360070048
  • https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/192243849
  • Feeding behavior and diet of the eastern coral snake, Micrurus fulvius. 1984. pp. 147-162 in: Vertebrate Ecology and Systematics - A Tribute to Henry S. Fitch. Museum Natural History, University of Kansas, Lawrence. Special Publication.

Where does the greensnake live?

Not recorded

Where has it been introduced?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the greensnake as introduced in 1 country.

  1. Bahamas

Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).

Is the greensnake endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the greensnake classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classReptilia
  4. orderSquamata
  5. familyColubridae
  6. genusOpheodrys
  7. SpeciesOpheodrys aestivus (Linnaeus, 1766)

Synonyms Coluber aestivus, Leptophis majalis, Opheodrys aestivus carinatus, Opheodrys aestivus conanti

Other names and names in other languages (15)
  • Rough greensnakeEnglish
  • užovka zelenáCzech
  • Ru Grøn SnogDanish
  • Raue GrasnatterGerman
  • Estival RugosaSpanish
  • Culebra verde rugosaSpanish
  • Culebra-verde rugosaSpanish
  • Couleuvre rugueuseFrench
  • נחש עשבHebrew
  • zöld fűsiklóHungarian
  • Wąż trawnyPolish
  • Cobra-verde-rugosaPortuguese
  • Килеватый травяной ужRussian
  • Northern Rough Greensnakeroot
  • 糙鱗綠樹蛇Chinese

Catalogue of LifeiNaturalistITISWikidata

Relatives of the greensnake

Other species in the same genus Opheodrys.

CompareGreensnake vs Smooth green snakeGreensnake vs Florida rough greensnake

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the greensnake?

An adult greensnake measures 79.3 cm long, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

How long does the greensnake live?

The greensnake has a recorded lifespan of 7.2 years.

Is the greensnake an invasive species?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the greensnake as introduced in 1 country: Bahamas, but does not flag it as invasive in any of them.

What kind of animal is the greensnake?

The greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus) belongs to the family Colubridae in the order Squamata.

What eats the greensnake?

Animals recorded preying on the greensnake include racer and eastern coral snake. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/greensnake

MLA

“Greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/greensnake.

BibTeX
@misc{greensnake_2026,
  title = {Greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/greensnake},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}