Conservation Status: Specially Protected (Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act)

Size: 65 cm (26”)

Defining feature(s): Smooth Green Snakes are the only uniformly green snake in Ontario.  The ventral scales are pale yellow or white.

Other features: As the name suggests, Smooth Green Snakes have smooth scales.  The body is slender and the head is small and only slightly wider than the neck.

Habitat: Smooth Green Snakes inhabit open grassy areas such as fields, meadows and savannahs.  They are often found in open grassy areas near wetlands where insects are abundant.  Smooth Green Snakes may be found on the ground or in the lower branches of shrubs and bushes.

Reproduction: Courtship and breeding has been documented in the spring and late summer.  Although Smooth Green Snakes are egg layers, they retain the eggs longer than most species and reduce the incubation time after the eggs are laid.  Incubation ranges from 4-30 days.  This delayed egg laying may be an adaptation to life in a cooler climate because it permits the female to bask and optimize the development of the embryos more effectively than if she were to lay the eggs early.