Queen Snake

The latin name of this snake seems very strange. Regina is derived from the word queen, which makes little sense as this snake is small and drab-colored. My only guess would be something to the effect of the dietary needs of this snake are so specialized (all members of the family feeding almost soley on crayfish) that they are being compared to the fine eating habits of royalty. The name septemvittata, "seven striped" comes from the 4 ventral stripes and the 3 dorsal lines that are only obvious on some individuals.

This is not a large snake, most individuals reaching lengths of around 2ft. The largest individual I have found was 764mm (about 30in.). Its body is relatively slender, and the head is only slightly distinct from its neck. Its scales are keeled. Its dorsal color is brown with beige-colored side stripes. Some individuals may have 3 thin black stripes dorsally, but this is usually more evident in younger snakes. The belly color is usually a light cream or white color, but I have seen some snakes that exhibited a darker gray coloration. The 2 reddish brown stripes running down the venter, along with the two bordering the underbelly, are probably the best characteristics for identifying this species.

Juveniles are almost identical to the adults in coloration.

No other species in the family Regina have been documented in Indiana. This snakes could not be mistaken easily for any other snake in Indiana. Some eastern gartersnakes are dull brown in coloration, but they lack the reddish brown lines on the underbelly. Northern watersnakes have similar habitat preferences and may be found under the same rocks, but are distinctly banded.

In Indiana, the queen snake is fairly widespread and quite abundant in many locations. It is found throughout the state, excluding the wabash lowlands and the northwestern prairies. Southeastern Indiana seems to be a stronghold for this species. I have found them to be very abundant at locations from Wayne County south to the Ohio River. West-central Indiana seems to have an abundance of these snakes as well.

This snake has very specific habitat needs to go along with its specialized feeding habits. It is most frequently found in shallow streams with many flat rocks. It may also be seen in larger rivers and sometimes lakes and ponds. Its occurence in those habitats is completely dependant on a healthy crayfish population in the area.

This docile, small snake spends much of its time under cover. Although they are often found under flat rocks in and around creeks, adults may be seen basking out on logs or rocks by the water. Although this snake seems to bask more in spring, it remains easy to find throughout the summer. I have found this species to be abundant in medium sized creeks that hold water year round. During the summer in such creeks, the water level drops, revealing more flat rocks. On a hot afternoon in mid-July I was able to locate about 10 snakes in a small stretch of creek in Wayne County, in under an hour.

Queen snakes feed almost exclusively on crayfish. In Wayne County, I found a juvenile queen snake that had a large bulge in its mid-body. The snake quickly regurgitated a large crayfish. From the size of the crayfish I would assume that it must have recently shed its hard outer shell. The shell of the crayfish is hard enough, that most of the crayfish eaten, would have to be soft-shelled (recently shed). Multiple times, I have observed queen snakes in Franklin County winding around and under large rocks at the bottom of the river. I assume those snakes were in search of crayfish hiding under and around the rocks.

Like most aquatic snakes, large waterbirds, such as herons, are probably major predators. Larger fish wouldn't hesitate to make a meal of a small queen snake either. In Franklin County, I observed a huge queen snake (the largest I have seen) being eaten by a 3ft. southern black racer. The racer had already swallowed close to a third of the queen snake's body, including its head, but upon being startled the queen snake was quickly released. Although cut up and startled, the queen snake was able to swim away, no worse for wear.