To those squeamish at the sight of a snake, snake identification can be especially important in those times one crosses paths with a snake.
Identifying the types of snakes people come into contact with in the United States starts by presenting some formal information about snakes.
First, the native snakes in the United States fit into one of five different families:
- Boidae (Boas)
- Colurbridae (Colubrid)
- Crotalidae (Pit Vipers)
- Leptotyphlopidae (Blind Snakes)
- Elapidae (Coral Snakes)
Most people will cross paths with Colubrid snakes for the simple fact that they are the largest family of snakes in terms of number of species.
The family covers around one hundred species, including the most common types of snakes such as garter snakes, kingsnakes, rat snakes and coachwhips. The picture at the top of the page shows a pair of Garter Snakes.
Types of Snakes: Colubrids
Garter snake identification gets a good deal of attention because they inhabit backyards and multiple grass habitats throughout North America. In short, the snake in the grass raises people’s curiosity.
Their propensity to inhabit residential areas explains the common name, garden snake. Whatever the common name, garter snake identification often starts by noting the thin and often colorfully striped body.
Depending on the source, up to sixteen different species are recognized. Apart from those with unusual field markings, multiple, similar looking species, occupy overlapping territory in many areas, creating potential identification challenges.
That particular garter snake identification problem does not apply to the Giant Garter Snake, pictured. Growing up to five feet in length, it ranks as the largest garter snake and one of the longest native snakes regardless of family.
The picture shows a close up of a Common Garter Snake with numbers from 1-7 printed on the upper labial scales. That physical characteristic is usually, but not always sufficient to differentiate it from other species.
Compare Common Garter snakes with the snake in the next picture, the Terrestrial Garter snake. The picture shows a snake with eight upper labial scales.
Bluestrip Garter snakes in Florida live mostly in the Gulf Coast region.
Aquatic Garter Snakes are a Western specialty with a presence in California and Oregon.
Butler’s Garter snake has a small range, limited to Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio.
Like all garter snakes, they have stripes down the body. Unlike most garter snakes they have a very pronounced checkered pattern complimenting the stripes. It’s hard to misidentify them.
Most of the sixteen garter snake species are recorded in Southwest and Western states. Checkered Garter snakes are mostly a Texas species. However there are smaller populations in California, Arizona and New Mexico.
Like all garter snakes, they have stripes down the body. Unlike most garter snakes they have a very pronounced checkered pattern complimenting the stripes. It’s hard to misidentify them.
The black-necked garter snake, typically described a Southwest species, extends its range Texas to California along the border, along with some neighboring states such as Oklahoma and Utah.
Subspecies have slight color differences. The presence of the black color on the neck unites them.
The Northwestern garter snake, another West Coast specialty, inhabits Washington, Oregon and California. The red stripe down the middle of the body.
Three different subspecies of Western Terrestrial Garter Snakes also inhabit western North America.
The picture shows a typical wandering garter snake skin pattern, characterized by the light color stripes. A close up picture would show the snake’s eight upper labial scales, typical of all Thamnophis elegans subspecies.
Valley Garter snakes, one of a handful of T. sirtalis subspecies, shows a light cream or white color on the lower jaw, followed sometimes with a red spot on the neck.
Without seeing the lower portion of the jaw, the Valley garter might be mistaken for other dark headed species.
Ribbon snakes refers to a group of snakes in the genus Thamnophis, differentiated by the presence of longer tails and a light patch in front of the eye.
Two ribbon snakes, the Western Ribbon Snake and the Ribbon Snake inhabit North America, each with geographically identified subspecies.
The picture shows a Gulf Coast Ribbon Snake, one of the six different subspecies of the Western Ribbon Snake.
The Eastern Ribbon Snake has a distinct pattern on the body as well as the common stripes.
The Ring-necked Snake, a common Colubrid species, lives in most areas of the United States. It’s also the only member of the genus.
The dual color body, dark on the top and a bright shade of orange or yellow on the bottom serve as the best field identification clues. The picture highlights the snake’s characteristic ring neck mark. While ring-neck snake bites are rare, touching them is not recommended. They can secrete a foul smelling chemical.
While all snakes possess the ability to swim, Water Snakes get their name because of their close association with water habitats.
With the exception of the Pacific Northwest, nine different species inhabit most areas of North America. All but one species, the Salt Marsh Snake inhabit fresh water areas from small ponds to large rivers. The Northern Water snake is probably the species with the widest range. It’s found in all states east of the Rocky Mountains.
While Water Snake species are not venomous, many species are known to be ill tempered, and quick to bite when startled. Wildlife officials often recommend that boaters avoid drifting under low hanging branches (their favorite basking places) in order to decrease the possibility that the snakes drop in for a ride.
Indigo snakes often get ranked as the largest coulbrids. They can grow up to nine feet in length, with most averaging in the five to six foot category.
The picture highlights the snake’s blue hue, making snake identification in this instance also easy. It’s also a one of a kind snake and the only member of the Drymarchon genus in the United States.
Moving from the largest of the colubrid snakes to the smallest colubrids also keys in on the Eastern United States. A handful of snakes common in most areas of the East might vie for the title.
Here’s a half dozen snake species as examples, starting with the three Storeria species:
- Red bellied Snake
- Dekay’s Brownsnake
- Florida Brownsnake
Dekay’s Brownsake, first picture, might pass for a common garden snake in most areas of the east.
Red-bellied snakes, the second picture, live mostly in wooded areas of the east. Their body color varies from location to location, the red belly is a good identification clue.
Eastern Wormsnakes are also very small and thin snake that inhabits forested areas in most parts of the Eastern United States.
Pine Woods snakes are primarily residents of coastal pine forests of the Southeast. They are about a foot in length and normally a solid bronze or copper color.
Green snakes can be either rough keeled or smooth keeled. They are small nonvenomous snakes that also go by the name grass snakes. They are insectivores who consume a good deal of grasshoppers and other insect pests.
Three species of Hognose Snakes live in the United States:
- Eastern hognose snake
- Southern hognose snake
- Western hognose snake
Any large snake can be imposing. When faced with potential danger, the snake snake inhales air to enlarge its head and neck and feign striking. This next picture highlights how the Eastern Hognose looks puffed up.
That behavior explains a common nickname, the puffed adder. Even more remarkable, Hognose snakes don’t usually follow through on their threat. Instead they opt to roll over and play dead. So there’s little for humans to fear.
Southern hognose snakes share overlapping territory with the Eastern Hognose. Color is one way to differentiate between the two species. Generally the Southern Hognose have light gray or tan bodies with the darker pattern covering them.
Southern Hognose snakes also have a slight color variation underneath where the bottom of the tail matches the color of the belly.
The name Western Hognose snake might be a bit misleading. Actually they are a Midwest snake that lives in prairies or brush lands from Canada to Mexico.
They grow to maybe three feet in length and the picture shows their stout body.
Western Hognose snakes end to have a most consistent body color. The background color ranges from tan to a darker brown. Dark patterns cover the body.
Growing up to eight feet long, Coachwhip snakes, or whip snakes, get their name from their long, whip like appearance. Visitors interested in additional information on a variety of snakes can press the green Snakes button.
The lengthy size of the coachwhip snakes makes them an imposing figure. It’s hard to miss one when they are sitting on a hiking path, or curled up, and curled up and curled up some more in a tree.
Five species are found in the United States. The picture shows a Red Racer. It’s probably the most common species, with subspecies living in states from Florida, west to California. The name Red Racer can be a bit misleading. Many of the subspecies have different color patterns from red to yellow to brown to dark to tan. Body color in these snakes is very much a function of geography and climate.
Sonoran Whipsnakes have a very small presence in the Sonoran Desert areas of New Mexico and Arizona.
Schott’s Whipsnake, another separate species, has a small range in South Texas. It is primarily a Mexican species.
Striped Whipsnakes range through most of the Southwest, and as far north as the Oregon border.
Here’s a close up of the face of a Striped Whipsnake.
The fifth and final of the native coachwhip snakes, the California Striped Racer limits it range to California.
The black body with side stripes makes it a very easy snake to identify.
Black Racer the general name for one of the most widespread of all the snakes native to the United States.
In fact eleven different subspecies inhabit almost every state in the lower 48 states. Color is a common name applied to many of the species as well as the Black Racer. Blue Racers, for example are common around the Great Lakes region.
Black racers inhabit most areas in the East from southern Maine to the Florida Keys. They are long, thin snakes with a black body, and as the picture highlights, white chins.
Juvenile black racers can look altogether different with dark spots on an otherwise lighter color body.
The Buttermilk racer in the picture is native to Louisiana, with small populations spilling over the borders to Arkansas and Texas.
Two subspecies of Yellow-bellied racers are recognized. The Eastern Yellow-bellied racer is a Midwest native. West of the Rocky Mountains, the Western Yellow-bellied Racer prevails.
Eastern Kingsnakes generally have a black body with with a series of thin white bands down the back. The top picture shows a face view of the Eastern Kingsnake.
Speckled Kingsnakes inhabit areas of the Midwest and grow to an average size of about three feet.
The picture highlights how its physical features, yellow speckles over an otherwise dark body, contrasts with its relative the Eastern Kingsnake.
Arizona Mountain Kingsnakes bring their color in the southern portion of the Rocky Mountains. Their range is limited to Nevada, Utah and of course Arizona in the United States.
In the mountains of California the black face on the banded snake is the key identifying feature of the California Mountain King Snake.
California also is home to the less colorful California King Snake. It’s a black and white species that shares some physical characteristics of the Eastern King Snakes. It lives in most areas of California with the exception of the northwest Redwoods area.
Their ability to adapt to a variety of habitats means populations also extend over to Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona.
And this leads us back to the discussion of Milk Snakes, particularly the Eastern Milk Snake. They are literally found in multiples habitats from fields to forests and of course farms.
Types of Snakes: Pit Vipers
The presence of rear fangs and a very mild venom sometimes qualifies a few Colurbridae species such as Lyre snakes as venomous snakes. They represent a small proportion of the country’s approximately 250 total snake species and subspecies.
Pit Vipers, the largest group of venomous snakes, divide into three genera, covering about forty species of rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths.
Rattlesnakes inhabit most areas of North America. Because of the venomous bites, their presence in any specific area usually gets well documented. The desert Southwest hosts over a dozen different species.
Rattlesnake identification can be a bit tricky because rattlesnake diversity translates into species with substantially different body patterns. Diamondback species, for example, have dark, diamond shaped patterns along the length of the body. That makes for difficult species identification.
The Timber Rattlesnake pictures is probably the most common species in the United States. It lives in most states east of the Rocky Mountains.
For general identification purposes and for personal safety reasons, most people only need know that a rattlesnake can be identified by the rattle at the end of the tail. It’s the only snake with that physical characteristic and a good clue to keep away from the snake.
Five different copperhead subspecies inhabit Eastern and Mid-western forest areas, south to Texas.
Their diet consists primarily of rodents in their territory, and unless directly disturbed, they are not known to be particularly aggressive in the presence of humans.
Copperheads grow to an average three feet in length and their light body is covered with darker crossbands. The head shows a characteristic copper color.
Populations of Cottonmouth Snakes are limited to water areas of the Southeast and up the Mississippi River to Illinois.
The look very similar to the common water snakes they share territory with.