Queen Snake Regina septemvittata (Say, 1825)    Synonyms: Queensnake.
Kingdom Animalia   >   Phylum Chordata   >   Class Reptilia   >   Order Squamata   >   Family Colubridae   >   Genus Regina   

Status:

The Queen Snake (Regina septemvittata) is an attractive, widespread species in eastern North America, related to the water snakes of the genus Nerodia. Snakes in the genus Regina tend to be much more specialized in diet, and usually eat primarily crayfish. Queen Snakes prefer to eat crayfish that have recently molted, making them much softer and easier to swallow, and they are very strongly attracted to the odor of crayfish ecdysis (Tennant, 2003). This snake is relatively widespread in Maryland, and typically haunts streams, creeks, and rivers with abundant crayfish populations. It appears to be most common in the piedmont and western Maryland, with scattered records from parts of the coastal plain (Maryland DNR).

There are 134 records in the project database.

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A Queen Snake in Garrett Co., Maryland (9/8/2014). Photo by Matt Tillett. (MBP list)

A Queen Snake in Montgomery Co., Maryland (9/11/2016). Photo by Justin Lee. (MBP list)

First documented record of Queen Snake in Howard County, Maryland (10/9/2011). Photo by Richard Orr. (MBP list)

A Queen Snake near Chicago, Illinois (10/25/2010). Photo by Corey Raimond. (MBP list)

Queen Snake in Carroll Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) johnbotany, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by John Hall. (MBP list)

Queen Snake in Garrett Co., Maryland (10/1/2020). (c) Kyle Klotz, all rights reserved. Photo by Kyle Klotz. (MBP list)

A Queen Snake in Howard Co., Maryland (4/16/2019). Photo by Emilio Concari. (MBP list)

Queen Snake in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (7/3/2021). (c) bugzilla, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by bugzilla via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

A Queen Snake in Howard Co., Maryland (4/8/2013). Photo by Bonnie Ott. (MBP list)

Queen Snake in Frederick Co., Maryland (9/3/2022). (c) Robert Warren, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND). Photo by Robert Warren. (MBP list)

Queen Snake in Garrett Co., Maryland (10/1/2020). (c) Kyle Klotz, all rights reserved. Photo by Kyle Klotz. (MBP list)

Queen Snake in Montgomery Co., Maryland (9/19/2021). (c) Scot Magnotta, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Scot Magnotta via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Queen Snake in Garrett Co., Maryland (9/8/2014). (c) Matt Tillett, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by mtillett via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

A Queen Snake in Montgomery Co., Maryland (4/13/2018). Photo by Tom Feild. (MBP list)

Queen Snake in Garrett Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Justin Lee, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Justin Lee via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Queen Snake in Garrett Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Kyle Klotz, all rights reserved. Photo by Kyle Klotz. (MBP list)

Queen Snake in Baltimore Co., Maryland (5/24/2020). (c) mikesbalt, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by mikesbalt via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Queen Snake in Montgomery Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Romain Clément, all rights reserved. Photo by romainclem via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Queen Snake in Montgomery Co., Maryland (7/18/2009). (c) Dave, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Dave via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

First documented record of Queen Snake in Howard County, Maryland (10/9/2011). Photo by Richard Orr. (MBP list)

A juvenile Queen Snake in Montgomery Co., Maryland (9/17/2016). Photo by Steve Scholnick. (MBP list)


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