Field Guide to Maryland's Snakes (Order Squamata)



Queensnake (Regina septemvittata)

Photo of Queensnake courtesy of John White

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
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
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