Smooth green snake

Smooth green snake
Smooth green snake in a sand prairie
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Opheodrys
Species:	O. vernalis
Binomial name
Opheodrys vernalis (Harlan, 1827)
Synonyms[2]
Coluber vernalis Harlan, 1827 Chlorosoma vernalis — Baird & Girard, 1853 Herpetodryas vernalis — Hallowell, 1856 Cyclophis vernalis — Günther, 1858 Liopeltis vernalis — Cope, 1860 Contia vernalis — Boulenger, 1894 Eurypholis vernalis — Pope, 1935 Liochlorophis vernalis — Oldham & H.M. Smith, 1991 Opheodrys vernalis — Wallach et al., 2014

The smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalis) is a species of North American nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is also referred to as the grass snake. It is a slender, "small medium" snake that measures 36–51 cm (14–20 in) as an adult. It gets its common name from its smooth dorsal scales, as opposed to the rough green snake, which has keeled dorsal scales. The smooth green snake is found in marshes, meadows, open woods, and along stream edges, and is native to regions of Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. A non-aggressive snake, it seldom bites and usually flees when threatened. It mates in late spring to summer, and females lay their eggs from June to September. The smooth green snake will often bob its head in order to mimic vegetation blowing in the wind.