- Size:
Length in Kansas up to 34 1/2 inches.
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Range:
Restricted to the eastern third of Kansas; generally found no farther west than the
eastern edge of the Flint Hills. |
- Description:
Harmless. Named for the weakly keeled, bright green scales covering its body. A
slender-bodied, serpent with a white or creamcolored belly. Tail is very long, almost 40%
of total body length; tail is used as an anchor when snake is moving through branches of
bushes and brush. Young are miniature adults.
- Habits:
Active during the day from April to early October. Highly arboreal (tree dwelling);
prefers bushes or shrubs along edge of streams and swamps; sometimes found on open brushy
ridges. Very difficult to observe because its color blends so well with green vegetation.
Breeding occurs in spring or autumn; up to 10 eggs per clutch are laid in June or July.
Specializes in feeding on caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets, dragonflies, damselflies
and spiders.
Click here for
information on precautions against being bitten by snakes
and what to do if you have been bitten by one..
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