Rough Green Snake photographs

These are some photographs of a Rough Green Snake(Opheodrys aestivus).  Rough Green Snakes are found in the southern United States mainly between Central Texas and Florida.  Rough Green Snakes are arboreal which means they like to climb.  You can find these reptiles climbing low vegetation.  They are diurnal meaning they tend to hunt during the day and sleep at night.  The Rough Green Snake eats small insects and occasionally frogs.  These animals are not aggressive and will rarely bite.  The Rough Green Snake reaches about 45 inches and it very thin.  These snakes are quick and will retreat if confronted.

The difference between a Rough Green Snake and a Smooth Green Snake is mainly that a Rough Green Snake has keeled scales.  The Rough Green Snake also gets about 3.5 feet long where the Smooth Green Snake will only get about 2.5.

Here is a photograph of the keeled scales of a Rough Green Snake.

Notice that the scales are not smooth all the way from top to bottom.  In the middle of the scales there are a dividing line that is rough to the touch.  This is called a keel and is where the reptile gets it's name from.

Both snakes are green on top and yellow on the bottom.  This gives excellent camouflage in vegetation.  These animals are excellent climbers.  This video of a Rough Green Snake shows how well they can climb.