# Grass snake (*Natrix natrix*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/natrix-natrix  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The grass snake (Natrix natrix) is a snake in the family Colubridae and subfamily Natricinae, part of the reptile order Squamata. It falls in the small size class, with adults weighing from 96 to 300 g and a representative adult weight of 198 g. Its main food is amphibia, and its lifespan is given as 15 years, with values up to 20 years reported. It produces 1 clutch per year with 15.5 young or eggs per clutch, eggs incubate for 45 days, and it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 96.3 g – 300 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 15 years – 20 years |
| Main food | amphibia |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Egg incubation | 45.4 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 15.5 |
| Age at maturity | 3.5 years – 5.5 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Reptilia
- order: Squamata
- family: Colubridae
- genus: Natrix
- species: *Natrix natrix* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Coluber minutus*, *Coluber natrix*, *Coluber natrix var. dalmatina*, *Coluber persa*, *Coluber scutatus*, *Coluber sparsus*, *Coluber torquatus*, *Natrix megalocephala*, *Natrix natrix cypriaca*, *Natrix natrix fusca*, *Natrix natrix gotlandica*, *Natrix natrix persa*, *Natrix natrix schweizeri*, *Natrix persa*, *Natrix rubetaria*, *Natrix vibakari continentalis*, *Natrix vulgaris*, *Tropidonotus ater*, *Tropidonotus natrix*, *Tropidonotus natrix bithynius*, *Tropidonotus natrix bithynus*, *Tropidonotus natrix britannicus*, *Tropidonotus natrix bucharensis*, *Tropidonotus natrix cephallonicus*, *Tropidonotus natrix cypriacus*, *Tropidonotus natrix dystiensis*, *Tropidonotus natrix moreoticus*, *Tropidonotus natrix schirvanae*, *Tropidonotus natrix syrae*, *Tropidonotus natrix syriacus*, *Tropidonotus natrix var. bilineata*, *Tropidonotus natrix var. colchica*, *Tropidonotus natrix var. lineata*, *Tropidonotus natrix var. minax*, *Tropidonotus natrix var. moreoticus*, *Tropidonotus natrix var. murorum*, *Tropidonotus natrix var. nigra*, *Tropidonotus natrix var. picturata*, *Tropidonotus natrix var. subbilineata*, *Tropidonotus natrix var. subblineata*, *Tropidonotus viperinus var. bilineata*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the grass snake?

The grass snake is a reptile, a snake in the family Colubridae and subfamily Natricinae.

### How heavy is a grass snake?

Adult grass snakes weigh from 96 to 300 g, with a representative adult weight of 198 g.

### What does the grass snake eat?

Its main food is amphibia.

### Is the grass snake endangered?

No. It is listed as Least Concern (LC) in the global IUCN assessment, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a grass snake live?

Its lifespan is given as 15 years, with values up to 20 years reported by sources.

### How many young does a grass snake have?

It has 15.5 young or eggs per clutch, with 1 clutch per year, and eggs incubate for 45 days.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Grass snake (Natrix natrix). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/natrix-natrix