Common Ribbon Snake

Thamnophis saurita

The Common Ribbon Snake is a slender, colorful snake that loves to swim! It has beautiful stripes and is often found near water. These friendly snakes are great at catching small fish and frogs.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Common Ribbon Snake is a slender reptile with a dark body, typically black, brown, or olive. It has three bright, distinct longitudinal stripes (yellow, white, or greenish) and a pale, unmarked belly. Its prominent side stripes help distinguish it from similar garter snakes.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassSquamataOrderSerpentesFamilyColubridaeGenusThamnophis

Common Ribbon Snake

Interesting facts

A ribbon snake's tail can be nearly one-third of its entire body length!

Ribbon snakes are born live, not from eggs, and are ready to hunt right away!

They can stay underwater for a surprisingly long time to catch their prey!

They often bask on branches over water, ready to drop in if danger appears!

Special abilities

Common Ribbon Snakes have vibrant stripes that help them blend into tall grasses, making them almost invisible to predators.

Common Ribbon Snakes can swim gracefully underwater, allowing them to ambush small fish and amphibians with ease.

Common Ribbon Snakes can rapidly slither away through dense vegetation because of their slender body, helping them escape danger quickly.

Measurements & details

Length: 46-100 cm
Weight: 0.05-0.15 kg
Lifespan: 5-10 years
Top Speed: 5 km/h
Swim Speed: 6 km/h
Clutch Size: 3-26
Maximum Depth: 2 m

Diet & Feeding

These agile hunters mostly eat small amphibians and fish found near water.

Primary Foods

frogs
salamanders
tadpoles
small fish
earthworms

Foraging Method

Ambush

Ecological connections

hunts

Northern Leopard Frog

Lithobates pipiens

eats tadpoles and small frogs

hunts

Yellow Perch

Perca flavescens

preys on small fish, including fry

eaten by

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

is prey for larger raptors

hunts

Tiger Salamander

Ambystoma tigrinum

consumes larvae and small adults

Traits

Striped

Marked with parallel bands or lines of color.

Solitary

Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.

Colorful

Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.

Piscivorous

Piscivorous organisms are animals that primarily subsist on a diet of fish.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.