It is one of four subspecies of the ribbon snake (Thamnophis saurita) and occurs in the United States and Canada in southern Maine, southern Ontario, Michigan, New York, Nova Scotia, northern Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana.

It is a slender black or brown snake with three bright-yellow or white stripes on its back and sides.

[1] Ribbon snakes inhabit marshes or live near the edges of lakes, ponds, and streams.

They swim well, and their diets include frogs, tadpoles, salamanders, small fish, and insects.

Northern ribbon snakes have from 3 to 26 young, which are born in late summer.