What does a queensnake do if someone grabs it?

Thrashes and releases smelly musk

Where does a queensnake often hide during the day?

Under flat rocks at the water’s edge

Which record does the queensnake hold from a 1982 skin study?

Most water-permeable skin of the snakes tested

Queensnake

Q: How to identify Queensnake?

Compare the full body pattern, build, head markings and tail. Color can shift with age and lighting. Rules of thumb about triangular heads or round pupils aren't a reliable way to tell whether a snake is venomous. Snake Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

Q: What does Queensnake eat?

Queensnakes mainly eat freshly molted crayfish, using their keen sense of smell to locate their slippery meals.

Q: Is the queensnake venomous?

No. The queensnake is non-venomous. If it is grabbed, it thrashes, spins and releases a smelly musk, so the best rule is to watch it and never pick it up.

Q: What do queensnakes eat?

Almost only crayfish, especially ones that have just moulted and are still soft. Crayfish make up over 90% of the diet, and in one study all 194 crayfish found in queensnake stomachs were freshly moulted.

Q: What happens if you pick up a queensnake?

It will try hard to escape: it thrashes and spins and smears smelly musk and droppings from its vent. The musk is harmless but unpleasant. Wild snakes should be watched, not handled; if one is in the way, tell an adult and let it move off on its own.

Q: How can you tell a queensnake from a garter snake?

Look at the belly and back. A queensnake has a yellow belly with four brown stripes and no light stripe down the middle of its back. A garter snake usually has three light stripes, including one down the middle of the back.

Q: Where do queensnakes live?

In eastern North America, from southern Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and western New York south to the Florida panhandle, with a separate population in Arkansas. They live along clean streams and rivers with rocky bottoms and lots of crayfish, and rarely go more than a few metres from water.

Q: Is the queensnake endangered?

Not worldwide: the IUCN lists it as Least Concern. But it is Endangered in Canada and New York, critically imperilled in several other states and of special concern in Michigan, mainly because polluted streams lose their crayfish.

Q: Do queensnakes lay eggs?

No. Queensnakes give birth to live young, usually in late summer. A litter has 5–31 babies, about 11 on average, and each newborn weighs about 2.9 g.

Q: Why is it called septemvittata?

Septemvittata means “seven-banded” in Latin. It apparently refers to three dark stripes on the back and four on the belly. Regina, the genus name, is Latin for queen.

Regina septemvittata

The queensnake (Regina septemvittata) is a slender, non-venomous water snake of eastern North America, found from southern Ontario and the Great Lakes south to the Florida panhandle. It lives along clean, rocky streams and eats almost nothing but crayfish that have just moulted and are still soft, which it finds by smell. Females give birth to live young. The species is secure across much of the south but rare and protected at the northern edge of its range, including Ontario and New York.

Also known as Queen snake, Queen water snake, Seven-striped water snake

Queensnake abilities

2× more tongue flicks with moulting hormone
A queensnake flicks its tongue to taste the water for the smell of crayfish, and it is most excited by crayfish that have just moulted.
- Newborn queensnakes that had never eaten responded only to crayfish smells, and most strongly to newly moulted crayfish.
- Young snakes flicked their tongues twice as much at crayfish juice with ecdysone, a hormone crayfish make when they moult.
- In feeding tests, hard-shelled crayfish given the moulting hormone were eaten in 5 of 7 trials. Without it, none were eaten.
- Scientists think ecdysone is one of the key smells, but crayfish may give off other cues too.
Sources [1, 2]
194 of 194 stomach crayfish were freshly moulted
The queensnake is an extreme food specialist: it feeds almost entirely on crayfish caught right after they moult, while their new shell is still soft.
- Crayfish make up over 90% of its diet in studies.
- In one study of 340 snakes, every one of the 194 crayfish found in their stomachs was freshly moulted.
- A soft crayfish is easier to swallow and slower to escape. It stays really soft for only a few hours.
- Where soft crayfish are easy to find, queensnakes hunt; scientists think crayfish moulting times shape when they forage.
Crayfish in queensnake meals, one West Virginia creek
Allegheny crayfish62%
Rock crayfish38%
2018–2025 study of an urban creek population
Sources [3, 6, 9, 10]
30 m most snakes moved no further
By day a queensnake often lies hidden under a flat rock at the stream’s edge, the same kind of place where crayfish hide.
- An early Ohio study listed three must-haves for queensnakes: permanent water, lots of flat rocks along the bank and plenty of crayfish.
- Thicker chin scales help protect the head while it pushes under stones.
- Queensnakes are homebodies. In one study most moved less than 30 m from where they were first caught.
Sources [3, 4, 11]
96% of Ontario sightings within 5 m of the river
Queensnakes swim with side-to-side waves of the body and search the stream bed for food. They rarely go far from water.
- They hunt by swimming and poking their heads under rocks and debris where crayfish hide.
- Along Ontario’s Thames River, 177 of 185 queensnakes found were within 5 m of the water’s edge.
- They are usually within 3 m of the shore. The few found further away were at a winter den up to 15 m from the water.
Sources [4, 11]
18 °C water needed for most of the season (Ohio study)
A queensnake warms up by lying on a branch or shrub hanging over the stream. If danger comes close, it drops straight into the water.
- Like all reptiles, it gets its body heat from its surroundings, so basking powers its day.
- An early Ohio study found queensnakes lived where water stayed at 18 °C or warmer for most of the active season.
- Pregnant females spend much of the summer at warm, sheltered spots near the water, which helps their young develop.
- When a person gets too close, a basking queensnake escapes by dropping from its perch into the water.
Sources [4, 5, 11]
5–31 live young per litter (average 11)
Queensnakes do not lay eggs. The eggs develop inside the mother, and she gives birth to live baby snakes in late summer.
- Pregnancy lasts about 90–120 days after mating in spring.
- A litter has 5–31 young, about 11 on average. In Ontario births happen in late August and early September.
- Each newborn weighs only about 2.9 g. It can swim and must look after itself straight away: the mother gives no care.
Sources [3, 4, 11, 12]
7 stripes in its name
Flip a queensnake over (in a photo, not in your hands) and the four brown stripes on its yellow belly give it away.
- Septemvittata comes from Latin septem (seven) and vitta (band or stripe).
- The seven are apparently the three dark stripes on the back plus the four on the belly. The back stripes are easiest to see on young snakes.
- Garter snakes look similar, but they have a light stripe down the middle of the back, which queensnakes lack.
Sources [3, 4, 13]
2 sheds in a newborn’s first week
Like all snakes, a queensnake grows by shedding its old outer skin. Newborns grow so fast they may shed twice in their first week.
- Newborns live off yolk stored in their bodies while they grow and shed.
- Scientists used shed skins to measure how easily water passes through. The queensnake’s skin let water through the most of all the snakes tested.
- Scientists think this leaky skin may be one reason queensnakes rarely wander far from water.
Sources [3, 14]

Tap a pin on the model or a part below.

2× more tongue flicks at moulting-crayfish smell
- The forked tongue flicks out to collect smells from the water and rocks.
- Newborn queensnakes that had never eaten flicked their tongues only at crayfish smells, and most of all at the smell of freshly moulted crayfish.
- In tests, young queensnakes flicked their tongues twice as much at crayfish juice mixed with a crayfish moulting hormone.
Sources [1, 2]
- Queensnakes have round pupils and hunt by day.
- A basking queensnake watches for danger and drops off its perch into the water if something comes too close.
- Scientists have measured how close people can get before it drops, and compared this with the snake’s body temperature, size and sex.
Sources [3, 4, 5]
- The head is narrow, with nine large plate-like scales on top.
- Thicker scales on the chin help protect it while it pokes under rocks for food.
- A yellow stripe runs along each side of the body and onto the lip scales.
Sources [3, 4]
63% of whole crayfish swallowed tail first
- A queensnake usually strikes the crayfish’s back. In feeding trials, about 1 in 4 attacks needed more than one strike.
- It does not coil around its prey. It simply holds on and swallows the crayfish whole, most often tail first.
- Stretchy skin between the lower jaws makes up about one-sixth of how wide the mouth can open.
Sources [6]
3 faint dark stripes along the back
- The back is olive, grey or dark brown. Each scale has a ridge down the middle (keeled), so the skin feels rough.
- Three dark stripes run along the back. They are clearest on young snakes and often fade with age.
- Unlike a garter snake, a queensnake has no light stripe down the middle of its back.
Sources [3, 4, 7]
4 brown stripes on a yellow belly
- The belly is yellow with four brown stripes: one along each edge and two down the middle.
- The two middle stripes may blur together towards the tail.
- In Ontario it is the only snake with a belly striped from end to end, so the belly is the surest ID.
Sources [3, 4, 7, 8]
194 crayfish found, all freshly moulted
- In one study, scientists checked what 340 wild queensnakes had eaten and found food in 55% of them.
- All 194 crayfish they found were freshly moulted. In 25 cases the snake had eaten only a claw.
- Young snakes sometimes pull off and eat just the claws of crayfish that are too big to swallow.
Sources [6]
- If grabbed, a queensnake thrashes and spins and smears a smelly musk and droppings from the vent near the base of its tail.
- The musk is smelly, not venomous. Watch queensnakes, and never pick them up.
- The tail and body swing from side to side to push the snake through the water.
Sources [3, 4]
<4 h a crayfish stays really soft after moulting
- A crayfish grows by shedding its hard shell. For a short time afterwards, usually less than 4 hours, it is soft and slow.
- In one West Virginia creek, queensnake meals were 62% Allegheny crayfish and 38% rock crayfish.
- Crayfish need clean water, so pollution that kills crayfish starves queensnakes too.
- Crayfish can fight back: a strong claw can hurt a small queensnake.
Sources [4, 6, 8, 9]
30 m most marked snakes moved no further
- By day queensnakes often hide under flat rocks or wood at the water’s edge.
- They hunt by swimming and poking under rocks and other debris where crayfish shelter.
- They stay close to home: in one study most marked snakes moved less than 30 m, though one travelled 122 m in 2 weeks.
Sources [3, 4]

Real queensnakes

Photos from Wikimedia Commons. Some of them can repaint the 3D model.

AdultOlive to dark brown with a yellow stripe low on each side and four brown stripes on the yellow belly. The back stripes are often faint.Usually 40–60 cm long · record 92.2 cmQueensnakes often bask in shrubs and trees beside the water. Photo: Jody Shugart, CC BY 4.0
AdultOlive to dark brown with a yellow stripe low on each side and four brown stripes on the yellow belly. The back stripes are often faint.Usually 40–60 cm long · record 92.2 cmThe pale stripe low on each side runs all the way to the lips. Photo: David Hebert, CC BY 4.0
A queensnake in Blacksburg, VirginiaPhoto: Rebecca Hawkins, CC0
In New York State the queensnake is listed as EndangeredPhoto: Rstanton13, CC BY-SA 4.0
A queensnake shared by a nature watcher on iNaturalistPhoto: Richard Poort, CC BY 4.0

Queensnake by the numbers

Measured by scientists and wildlife agencies, with comparisons you can picture.

Typical length: 40–60 cm; most adults, snout to tail tip⁠[11]
Longest recorded: 92.2 cm; a northern water snake can reach 140 cm; Queensnake record92.2 cmNorthern water snake max140 cm; The water snake can grow about 1.5 times longer⁠[4, 15]
Soft crayfish: 194 of 194; crayfish in stomachs were freshly moulted (study of 340 snakes)⁠[6]
Smell test: 2×; tongue flicks at crayfish juice with moulting hormone⁠[2]
Litter size: 5–31; live young, about 11 on average⁠[4, 12]
Pregnancy: 90–120 days; from spring mating to late-summer birth⁠[4]
Newborn weight: 2.9 g; 12.5–18.1 cm from snout to vent⁠[3]
Close to water: 96%; of 185 Ontario captures were within 5 m of the river⁠[11]
Oldest known: 19+ years; in captivity; wild lifespan unknown⁠[4]
Ontario populations lost: 9 of 29; known Ontario populations considered gone (2010)⁠[11]

Queensnake myths and facts

Water snakes collect a lot of stories. Here is what the evidence says about the queensnake.

0 of 8 answered

“Queensnakes are venomous.”
“Queensnakes lay eggs.”
“Queensnakes mostly eat fish.”
“A queensnake can smell a crayfish that has just moulted.”
“Queensnakes are friendly and like being held.”
“Its scientific name means “seven stripes”.”
“Crayfish can be dangerous to queensnakes.”
“Queensnakes need clean streams.”

Queensnake records

Big numbers from a small stream snake.

Leakiest skin
Most permeable
Queensnake
of all the snakes tested in a 1982 study of shed skins: water passed through it most easily⁠[14]
Pickiest eater (one study)
194 of 194
Queensnake
crayfish found in stomachs were freshly moulted⁠[6]
Longest queensnake
92.2 cm
Record specimen
most adults are 40–60 cm⁠[4, 11]
Biggest litter
31 young
Queensnake mother
most litters are around 11⁠[4]
Oldest known
19+ years
Captive queensnake
nobody knows how long they live in the wild⁠[4]
Only striped belly
1 of a kind
Queensnake in Ontario
no other Ontario snake has stripes running along its belly⁠[8]
The original queen
1825
Regina septemvittata
described by Thomas Say; it is the type species of its genus, Regina⁠[13]

A year in the life of a queensnake

From a crowded winter den to a summer of soft crayfish, in the northern part of the range.

April–early May
Out of the den
Snakes leave their winter hiding places and move back to the shoreline.⁠[11]
May
Mating
Queensnakes mate in spring, typically in May. Males find females by tasting chemical cues with their tongues.⁠[4]
Late April–June
Easiest to spot
Snakes are most active and visible, often basking in shrubs and trees over the water.⁠[3]
Summer
Soft-crayfish season
Through the warm months crayfish grow and moult, and queensnakes hunt the soft ones under stream rocks.⁠[10, 4]
Summer
Waiting mothers
Pregnant females stay at warm, humid, sheltered spots by the water for about 90–120 days.⁠[11, 4]
Late Aug–Sept
Births
Females give birth to live young, usually up to about 12 per litter in Ontario.⁠[11]
First week
Fast growth
Newborns live on stored yolk and may shed their skin twice.⁠[3]
Oct–early Nov
Into the den
Snakes gather at shared winter sites such as cracks in rock, bridge foundations and crayfish burrows.⁠[3, 11]
Winter
Shared sleep
They hibernate in groups, sometimes alongside other snakes, amphibians and even crayfish.⁠[8]

Queensnake vs northern water snake vs garter snake

Three striped or patterned snakes you might meet near the same eastern stream.

Queensnake vs northern water snake vs common garter snake
	Queensnake	Northern water snake	Common garter snake
Scientific name⁠[4, 15, 16]	Regina septemvittata	Nerodia sipedon	Thamnophis sirtalis
Adult length⁠[4, 15, 16]	34–92 cm	61–140 cm	46–137 cm
Main food⁠[6, 15, 16]	Freshly moulted crayfish	Frogs, tadpoles, fish, crayfish and more	Earthworms, amphibians, slugs, insects and more
Pattern⁠[4, 15, 16]	Yellow side stripe; 4 brown belly stripes	Belly with dark half-moon marks	3 light stripes along the body
Babies⁠[4, 15, 16]	Live young, 5–31	Live young, 4–99	Live young, 4–80
Habitat⁠[11, 15, 16]	Clean, rocky streams with many crayfish	Rivers, lakes, ponds, marshes and bogs	Meadows, marshes, woods, hillsides and suburbs
Venomous?⁠[8, 15, 16]	No	No	No (saliva may be mildly toxic to small prey)

All three give birth to live young. None is dangerous to people, but all are wild animals: watch, don’t handle.

Is the queensnake endangered?

Not worldwide. It is secure across much of the south, but rare and protected at the northern edge of its range, where polluted streams have lost their crayfish.

IUCN Red List

Least Concern (LC)

Trend unknown

NatureServe ranks it globally secure. It is Endangered in Canada (Ontario) and in New York State, critically imperilled in Wisconsin, Delaware, New Jersey, Arkansas and Washington DC, and of special concern in Michigan. Declines are worst in the north; it is gone from Missouri.⁠[17, 12, 11, 8, 7, 3]

IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2007)

Threats

Polluted streams
Water pollution, acid rain and silt harm crayfish, and the queensnake depends on them for almost all its food.⁠[12, 11, 8]
Shoreline building
Drained and diverted waterways, hard-walled banks and building along shores remove the rocks and plants queensnakes need.⁠[11, 8]
Invasive crayfish41%
Rusty crayfish were found at 41% of 99 southern Ontario river sites, and were the only crayfish at 24%. Their effect on queensnakes is still unknown.⁠[18, 11]
Snake fungal disease
Queensnakes with this skin disease spent more time active at the surface than healthy snakes in one study.⁠[19]

What’s helping

Legal protection
It is protected under Canada’s Species at Risk Act and Ontario’s Endangered Species Act, and listed as Endangered in New York.⁠[11, 8, 7]
Green stream banks
Keeping trees, shrubs, rocks and wood along streams gives queensnakes places to bask and hide, and helps keep the water clean for crayfish.⁠[3]
Safe winter dens
Protecting hibernation sites and doing riverside work when the snakes are less active reduces harm.⁠[3]
Report a sighting
In Ontario, photos of queensnakes with a location help experts track them. Send them to the Natural Heritage Information Centre.⁠[8]

Queensnake quiz

Twelve questions. Every answer is somewhere on this page.

Question 1 of 12Score 0

What does a queensnake mostly eat?

Queensnake field notes

Diet, food web, safety and badges from the Snappit field guide.

Diet & Feeding

Queensnakes mainly eat freshly molted crayfish, using their keen sense of smell to locate their slippery meals.

Primary Foods

Soft-shelled crayfish
Newly molted crayfish
Small fish (rarely)
Amphibian larvae (rarely)
Foraging Method: Foraging

Ecological connections

Rusty CrayfishHunts
Queensnakes eat mostly freshly molted crayfish. Rusty crayfish are invasive in some streams, and their effect on queensnakes is not yet known.
RaccoonEaten by
Often preys on snakes found near water sources.
Green HeronEaten by
A wading bird that hunts small aquatic animals including snakes.
Largemouth BassPredator
May consume juvenile Queensnakes found in the water.

Safety

Danger 1/5 · Very low

If you see a snake, it's best to watch from a distance and not touch it.

Traits

Collections

Reptiles

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Squamata
Order: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Regina

Sources for these queensnake facts

20 studies and references · checked Oct 16, 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

How to identify Queensnake?

Compare the full body pattern, build, head markings and tail. Color can shift with age and lighting. Rules of thumb about triangular heads or round pupils aren't a reliable way to tell whether a snake is venomous. Snake Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

How long is Queensnake?

38-61 cm

How much does Queensnake weigh?

0.08-0.2 kg

How long does Queensnake live?

8-10 years

What does Queensnake eat?

Queensnakes mainly eat freshly molted crayfish, using their keen sense of smell to locate their slippery meals.

Where is Queensnake usually found?

Rivers and streams

How does Queensnake hunt?

Foraging

How deep can Queensnake go?

2 m

Is the queensnake venomous?

No. The queensnake is non-venomous. If it is grabbed, it thrashes, spins and releases a smelly musk, so the best rule is to watch it and never pick it up.

What do queensnakes eat?

Almost only crayfish, especially ones that have just moulted and are still soft. Crayfish make up over 90% of the diet, and in one study all 194 crayfish found in queensnake stomachs were freshly moulted.

What happens if you pick up a queensnake?

It will try hard to escape: it thrashes and spins and smears smelly musk and droppings from its vent. The musk is harmless but unpleasant. Wild snakes should be watched, not handled; if one is in the way, tell an adult and let it move off on its own.

How can you tell a queensnake from a garter snake?

Look at the belly and back. A queensnake has a yellow belly with four brown stripes and no light stripe down the middle of its back. A garter snake usually has three light stripes, including one down the middle of the back.

Where do queensnakes live?

In eastern North America, from southern Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and western New York south to the Florida panhandle, with a separate population in Arkansas. They live along clean streams and rivers with rocky bottoms and lots of crayfish, and rarely go more than a few metres from water.

Is the queensnake endangered?

Not worldwide: the IUCN lists it as Least Concern. But it is Endangered in Canada and New York, critically imperilled in several other states and of special concern in Michigan, mainly because polluted streams lose their crayfish.

Do queensnakes lay eggs?

No. Queensnakes give birth to live young, usually in late summer. A litter has 5–31 babies, about 11 on average, and each newborn weighs about 2.9 g.

Why is it called septemvittata?

Septemvittata means “seven-banded” in Latin. It apparently refers to three dark stripes on the back and four on the belly. Regina, the genus name, is Latin for queen.