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Queen Snake [after this article was written the name was
changed to Regina septemvitta] by Trey Blankinship The Queen Snake is in the kingdom Animalia and in the phylum Chordata like all animals with a backbone. Like all snakes the Queen Snake is in the class Reptilia and in the order Squamata which includes scaled reptiles that shed their skin. It is a nonvenomous snake so it’s in the family Colubridae. The Queen Snake is in the genus Natrix which means swimmer and includes all crayfish snakes. Finally, it makes up the species septemvittata which is Latin for “seven stripes.” Other common names of the Queen Snake include: striped water snake, garter snake, willow snake, branch snake, and leather snake. Queen Snakes are small to medium sized snakes ranging from eight inches at birth to thirty-six inches as adults. They bear live young and can live up to nineteen years. The Queen Snake is more slender than other water snakes and the female is always larger than the male. Both have a dark brown, sometimes olive, body with nineteen scale rows and a small head. The Queen Snake has three noticeable stripes down its dorsum and one yellow or cream colored stripe running down each side of its body. It is a very aquatic snake and a very fast swimmer in shallow waters. The Queen Snake is diurnal and must thermoregulate, or control its body temperature, by basking in the sun to absorb heat or by lying beneath rocks to lose heat. It is the most cold-tolerant Virginia snake. The Queen Snake is nonvenomous and seldom bites. Instead, when threatened, it ejects musk from glands in its tail. It will hibernate for seven months beginning in October and emerge in early May. During this time it will mate and it usually bears young in late August and September. The Queen Snake is found mainly on the east coast from southern Canada to northern Florida. In Virginia it is found mostly in northern and western portions of the state. It is an endangered species in Wisconsin, but on the federal level it’s fine. The Queen Snake’s habitat consists of mountainous, forested areas around rocky streams. They use loose rocks for shelter and have been seen in rivers, lakes and ponds. Queen snakes are found in the middle of the food chain. Their main food is crayfish and they will not feed on anything else unless necessary. Other prey they rarely eat include: dragonfly naiads, small catfish, toads, snails, salamanders and minnows. The queen snake will find food by smell rather than sight. The queen snake has to keep away from some enemies itself. Its predators consist of raccoons, otters, great blue herons, and hellbenders. Written spring 2004, as a service learning project for Dr. Gary Coté's Biology 102 class at Radford University. Copyright Pathways for Radford. |
