Field Guide to Maryland's Snakes (Order Squamata)
Main_Content
Queensnake (Regina septemvittata) |
Photo of Queensnake courtesy of John White
| Size: 13 ½ inches – 23 inches Record: 36 inches. | Appearance:- This elegant snake is brown or dark green above with a yellow stripe on the lower half running the length of the body.
- The belly is yellow to whitish with four dark stripes running lengthwise.
- The scales are keeled and the anal plate, that scale on the belly just forward of the vent, is divided.
- Three additional dark stripes run down the back, but are difficult to see except in specimens that have recently shed or in juveniles.
![Photo of Queensnake Detail courtesy of Martin Hurd](/wildlife/PublishingImages/snake_QS_Detail_MartinHurd.jpg) Photo of Queensnake Detail courtesy of Martin Hurd
| Habitats:Found in or near clear water, bogs and other freshwater shallow wetlands, small spring-fed streams, ponds or lakes. There will be crayfish. | How to Find:These snakes are uncommon. Look for crayfish chimneys around seeps and shallow wetlands. This is the primary food of queen snakes. Non-venomous.
![Photo of Habitat for Queensnake courtesy of Jay Kilian](/wildlife/PublishingImages/snake_QS_JayKilian.jpg) Photo of Habitat for Queensnake courtesy of Jay Kilian
| Distribution in Maryland:Most commonly found in the Piedmont and western Maryland, with a few historical sightings reported from the northern Coastal Plain.
![Queensnake - Distribution in Maryland](/wildlife/PublishingImages/snake_QS_Map.jpg)
|
|