Is the rough green snake venomous?

The rough green snake is harmless. Harmless in every respect. Non-venomous and extremely reluctant to bite.

How do you identify a rough green snake?

Uniform bright green above, plain pale below. Very slender with a long tail, usually found in vegetation rather than on the ground.

Where do rough green snakes live?

They are found in 24 US states, in habitats including woods, wetland and suburban.

Rough Green Snake

Harmless

Opheodrys aestivus · also called grass snake, vine snake

The rough green snake is a slender, gentle, insect-eating climber that spends its life in shrubs and vine tangles, usually beside water. It is one of the few North American snakes that is genuinely difficult to be alarmed by, and it almost never bites.

Venom: Harmless in every respect. Non-venomous and extremely reluctant to bite.
Adult length: 20–32 inches (51–81 cm)
Markings: Uniform bright leaf-green above with a plain white, cream or pale yellow belly. Turns blue after death, which is why dead ones on roads look like a different species.
Habitat: woods, wetland, suburban
Family: colubrid
Range: 24 US states

How to identify a rough green snake

Uniform bright green above, plain pale below.
Very slender with a long tail, usually found in vegetation rather than on the ground.
Keeled scales give a slightly rough texture, unlike the smooth green snake.
Moves slowly and often sways with the branch it is on.

What it does when it sees you

Relies on camouflage and freezes rather than fleeing. Eats crickets, caterpillars and spiders.

What the rough green snake is confused with

One test settles each of these.

Smooth green snake

Smooth green snakes have unkeeled scales, are shorter, and are found in grassland further north. Both are harmless.

Before anything else

Back away and leave it alone. A snake that can see you leaving has no reason to bite. Most bites in the United States happen to people who picked up, cornered, or tried to kill a snake.
Never handle a snake to identify it. Every identification on this site can be made from a photo or from several feet away.
If someone is bitten, call emergency services now. Keep the limb still and below the heart, remove rings and watches, and go to hospital. Do not cut, suck, apply ice, or use a tourniquet — all of these make outcomes worse.
Do not try to catch the snake for identification. A photo from a distance is enough, and hospitals treat symptoms rather than species.

In the US, the Poison Help line is 1-800-222-1222. This site is a reference, not medical advice.

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