Types of Snakes

Most snakes are harmless, shy, and quietly useful, holding down rodents and slugs. Only a handful of North American species are venomous, and even those would far rather flee than bite. Learning the few dangerous ones, and the many harmless snakes that mimic them, is the whole game. Here are the snakes in the Huck field guide.

122 snakes in the Huck field guide. Tap any one for identification, habitat, diet, and a live sightings map.

Two of these are especially easy to mix up - see how to tell them apart.

Aquatic Garter Snake

Thamnophis atratus

Baird's Patchnose Snake

Pantherophis obsoletus

Black-banded Cat-eyed Snake

Leptodeira nigrofasciata

Black-necked Garter Snake

Thamnophis cyrtopsis

Blackbelly Garter Snake

Thamnophis melanogaster

Checkered Garter Snake

Thamnophis marcianus

Coast Night Snake

Hypsiglena ochrorhynchus

Common Blunt-headed Tree Snake

Oxybelis brevirostris

Corn Snake

Pantherophis guttatus

Eastern Hog-nosed Snake

Heterodon platirhinos

Eastern Rat Snake

Pantherophis obsoletus

Eastern Rat Snake

Pantherophis alleghaniensis

Pantherophis spiloides

Great Plains Ground Snake

Sonora episcopa

Great Plains Rat Snake

Tropidoclonion lineatum

Long-nosed Snake

Rhinocheilus lecontei

Mexican Brown Snake

Storeria storerioides

Lampropeltis triangulum

Mojave Shovelnose Snake

Sonora occipitalis

Night Snake

Hypsiglena torquata

Northwestern Garter Snake

Thamnophis ordinoides

Plains Black-headed Snake

Tantilla nigriceps

Plains Garter Snake

Thamnophis radix

Rainforest Cat-eyed Snake

Leptodeira frenata

Red-bellied Snake

Storeria occipitomaculata

Ring-necked Snake

Diadophis punctatus

Ringneck Coffee Snake

Short-headed Garter Snake

Thamnophis brachystoma

Short-tail Alpine Garter Snake

Southeastern Crowned Snake

Texas Patch-nosed Snake

Salvadora lineata

West Coast Garter Snake

Thamnophis validus

Western Hognose Snake

Heterodon nasicus

Western Patch-nosed Snake

Salvadora hexalepis

Western Terrestrial Garter Snake

Thamnophis elegans

Western Worm Snake

Carphophis vermis

Adorned Graceful Brown Snake

Rhadinaea decorata

Banded Centipede Snake

Tantilla planiceps

Big Bend Patch-nosed Snake

Salvadora deserticola

Black Swamp Snake

Seminatrix pygaea

Blood Snake

Stenorrhina freminvillei

Brown Spotbelly Snake

Coniophanes fissidens

Brown Vine Snake

Oxybelis aeneus

Butler's Garter Snake

Thamnophis butleri

Central American Indigo Snake

Drymarchon melanurus

Central American Tree Snake

Imantodes gemmistratus

Cloudy Snail-eating Snake

Sibon nebulatus

Colorado Desert Shovelnose Snake

Forest Sharp-tailed Snake

Largenose Earth Snake

Conopsis nasus

Lined Tolucan Ground Snake

Conopsis lineata

Mexican Blind Snake

Indotyphlops braminus

Mexican Hognose Snake

Heterodon kennerlyi

Mexican Hook-nosed Snake

Mountain Patch-nosed Snake

Salvadora grahamiae

Neotropical Whip Snake

Masticophis mentovarius

Northern Cat-eyed Snake

Leptodeira septentrionalis

Ornate Cat-eyed Snake

Leptodeira ornata

Pacific Coast Parrot Snake

Leptophis diplotropis

Pine Snake

Pituophis melanoleucus

Puffing Snake

Phrynonax poecilonotus

Queen Snake

Regina septemvittata

Rhombic Cat-eyed Snake

Leptodeira rhombifera

Southwestern Cat-eyed Snake

Leptodeira maculata

Spotted Leaf-nosed Snake

Phyllorhynchus decurtatus

Striped Crayfish Snake

Liodytes alleni

Thornscrub Vine Snake

Oxybelis microphthalmus

Trans-Pecos Rat Snake

Bogertophis subocularis

Two-striped Garter Snake

Thamnophis hammondii

Western Coral Snake

Micruroides euryxanthus

Western Glossy Snake

Arizona occidentalis

Western Hook-nosed Snake

Gyalopion canum

Western Lyre Snake

Trimorphodon biscutatus

Western Parrot-Snake

Leptophis occidentalis

Yellow Blunt-headed Tree Snake

Imantodes inornatus

Yellow-bellied Sea Snake

Hydrophis platurus

Yellow-throated Garter Snake

Thamnophis pulchrilatus

Black-striped Snake

Coniophanes imperialis

Eastern Indigo Snake

Drymarchon couperi

Graham's Crawfish Snake

Regina grahamii

Gulf Coast Vine Snake

Oxybelis potosiensis

Hoffmann's Earth Snake

Geophis hoffmanni

Longtail Alpine Garter Snake

Thamnophis scalaris

Rainbow Snake

Farancia erytrogramma

Pacific Longtail Snake

Enulius flavitorques

Southwestern Blackhead Snake

Tantilla hobartsmithi

Not sure which snake you found?

Point Huck at it. One photo identifies it on the spot, and adds it to your collection.

Get Huck - free

Common questions

How do I know if a snake is venomous?

There is no single shortcut that always works, but in the US the venomous species are the pit vipers (copperheads, cottonmouths, rattlesnakes) and coral snakes. Pattern and head shape help; the lookalike guides show the specific tells for the snakes people confuse.

What should I do if I find a snake in my yard?

Give it room and it will move on. Do not try to kill or handle it, which is when most bites happen. Nearly every backyard snake is a harmless rodent-eater doing you a favor.

More types

Types of Owls Types of Oak Trees Types of Hawks Types of Woodpeckers Types of Sparrows Types of Warblers Types of Ducks Types of Herons Types of Hummingbirds Types of Wrens Types of Maple Trees Types of Pine Trees Types of Ferns Types of Lilies Types of Orchids Types of Milkweeds Types of Turtles Types of Frogs Types of Salamanders Types of Lizards Types of Bats Types of Squirrels Types of Whales Types of Foxes Types of Bees Types of Beetles Types of Moths Types of Spiders Types of Swallowtail Butterflies