Indigo Snake

The eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi) is a large nonvenomous snake native to the Eastern United States. It is of note as being the largest native snake species in the U.S.

The eastern indigo snake is an even blue-black coloration, with some specimens having a reddish-orange to tan color on the throat, cheek and chin. This snake received its name from the glossy iridescent blackish-purple sheen it displays in bright light. This smooth-scaled snake is considered to be the largest native snake species in the United States. The longest recorded specimen measured 2.8 m (9.2 ft). Unlike many snakes, mature male indigo snakes are slightly larger than females. A typical mature male measures 2.13–2.36 m (7.0–7.7 ft) and weighs 3.2–4.5 kg (7.1–9.9 lb), whereas a mature female typically measures around 2 m (6.6 ft) in length and weighs 1.8–2.7 kg (4.0–6.0 lb). In specimens over 2.6 m (8.5 ft), these snakes can weigh up to 5 kg (11 lb). Although the indigo snake is heavier on average, unusually large specimens of the co-occurring Eastern diamondback rattlesnake can outweigh them.

Hundred Pacer Snake

Deinagkistrodon is a monotypic genus created for a venomous pitviper species, D. acutus, found in Southeast Asia. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Back is light brown or greyish brown, with a series of dark brown lateral triangles on each side. The two pointed tops of the two opposite triangles meet each other at the mid-line, forming a series of about twenty light brown, squarish blotches on the back. A row of large black spots extends along each side near the belly. The top and upper sides of the head are uniformly black, with a black streak from the eye to the angle of the mouth; yellowish below, spotted with dark brown. The young are much lighter than the adults with essentially the same pattern. The head is large, triangular, with an upturned snout. The body is very stout. The tail is short, ending in a compressed, pointed slightly curved cornified scale. The top of the head is covered with nine large shields. Dorsal scales are strongly and tubercularly keeled. The subcaudals are mostly in pairs, some of the anterior ones are single. This stout snake, usually between 0.8 and 1.0 metre (2.6 and 3.3 ft) long, reaches a maximum length of 1.57 metres (5.2 ft) in males and 1.41 metres (4.6 ft) in females. The largest specimen on record measured approximately 61 inches or 1.549 metres (5.08 ft).

Common Names : Sharp-nosed viper, snorkel viper, hundred pacer, Chinese moccasin. Chinese copperhead, five-pacer, hundred-pace snake, long-nosed pit viper, sharp-nosed pit viper, hundred-pace pitviper.

Western Hognose Snake

Heterodon nasicus, commonly known as the western hog-nosed snake or plains hognose snake, is a harmless colubrid species found in North America and northern Mexico. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the typical form described here.

The Western Hognose Snake is a light sandy brown in color, with darker brown or gray blotching, their coloration is not nearly as variable as the Eastern Hognose, Heterodon platirhinos, but they often have an ink-black and white or yellow checker patterned belly, sometimes accented with orange. They are very stout for their size (a full grown 24-inch female is as bulky as a five-foot corn snake) and can grow from 15 to 33 inches in length, with females generally being larger than males. The characteristic of all hognose snakes is their upturned snout, which aids in digging in the soil. Hognose Snakes are considered to be rear-fanged colubrids, and do not pose any danger to humans and will generally only bite as a feeding response, rarely in defense. The defensive bite response is usually due to the temporary blindness experienced while shedding. Because the snake cannot see while shedding, it becomes skittish and more prone to bite in defense. A defensive bite may also occur in gravid (egg carrying) females. The saliva they excrete is considered toxic to prey (frogs and toads) but not dangerous to humans. There has been some debate whether or not hognose are venomous. Their saliva has some toxicity to smaller prey items, such as toads and frogs. Toads inflate their lungs to make swallowing difficult, but the fangs would penetrate the lungs and deflate them. However, whole toads with intact lungs are commonly regurgitated by recently captured wild hognoses.

blow snake, bluffer, (western) hog-nosed snake, faux viper, prairie hog-nosed snake, puff(ing) adder, spoonbill snake, spreadhead snake, Texas hog-nosed snake, Texas rooter, western hog-nosed snake, plains hognose snake.

Southern Hognose Snake

Heterodon simus, commonly known as the southern hog-nosed snake, is a harmless snake species found in the southeastern United States. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Adults are 35.5-61 cm in length. Stout with a wide neck and a sharply upturned snout. Usually has 25 rows of keeled dorsal scales.

The color pattern consists of a light brown, yellowish or grayish ground color, sometimes a reddish color, overlaid with a distinct row of dark blotches that alternate with smaller blotches on the flanks. The belly is distinctly darker in color than the underside of the tail in juveniles. As they age, the underside usually becomes a pale white.

Plains Hognose snake

Heterodon nasicus, commonly known as the western hog-nosed snake or plains hognose snake, is a harmless colubrid species found in North America and northern Mexico. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the typical form described here.

The Western Hognose Snake is a light sandy brown in color, with darker brown or gray blotching, their coloration is not nearly as variable as the Eastern Hognose, Heterodon platirhinos, but they often have an ink-black and white or yellow checker patterned belly, sometimes accented with orange. They are very stout for their size (a full grown 24-inch female is as bulky as a five-foot corn snake) and can grow from 15 to 33 inches in length, with females generally being larger than males. The characteristic of all hognose snakes is their upturned snout, which aids in digging in the soil. Hognose Snakes are considered to be rear-fanged colubrids, and do not pose any danger to humans and will generally only bite as a feeding response, rarely in defense. The defensive bite response is usually due to the temporary blindness experienced while shedding. Because the snake cannot see while shedding, it becomes skittish and more prone to bite in defense. A defensive bite may also occur in gravid (egg carrying) females. The saliva they excrete is considered toxic to prey (frogs and toads) but not dangerous to humans. There has been some debate whether or not hognose are venomous. Their saliva has some toxicity to smaller prey items, such as toads and frogs. Toads inflate their lungs to make swallowing difficult, but the fangs would penetrate the lungs and deflate them. However, whole toads with intact lungs are commonly regurgitated by recently captured wild hognoses.

Hognose Snake

The hognose snake is a type of colubrid snake characterized by an upturned snout. They are notorious for playing dead when threatened. The hognose snakes consist of three distantly related genera that are artificially grouped together by the "hognose" common name: Heterodon which are predominantly found in United States and northern Mexico. Leioheterodon the Madagascar hognose snakes, and Lystrophis the South American or tri-colored hognose snakes.

Hognose snakes' most distinguishing characteristic is their upturned snout, which aids in digging in sandy soils by using a sweeping, side to side motion. They also like to burrow in masses of humus.

Hognose snakes are extremely variable in color and pattern. H. nasicus and H. kennerlyi tend to be sandy colored with black and white markings, while H. platirhinos varies from reds, greens, oranges, browns, to melanistic (i.e. black) depending on locality. They are sometimes blotched and sometimes solid-colored. L. geayi is a brown or tan colored snake with dark speckling on it. L. madagascariensis is typically green and yellow with a black checkerboard pattern along its back. L. modestus is normally a gold-brown color. The species in the genus Lystrophis are referred to as tri-color hognose snakes and sometimes as false coral snakes because they display alternating bands of red, white, and black.

Leioheterodon are the largest of the hognose snakes, capable of reaching lengths of 1.8 m. H. platirhynos gets slightly larger than other species of the genus, reaching lengths of 80 cm, where other species in the genus as well as Lystrophis species usually average around 65 cm at adult size.

Hognose snakes (Heterodon) are rear-fanged and technically not venomous, but the saliva they excrete is considered toxic to prey but not considered to be dangerous to humans and they will never bite in defense (as the only way to get bitten by a hognose snake is to smell like their prey). There has been some debate whether or not hognose are venomous, but there is evidence that their saliva has some toxicity to smaller prey items, such as toads and frogs. The fangs have been referred to as just "enlarged teeth", but they are genuine fangs that are used for prey restraint. Despite the common belief, there is no evidence to support the fangs being used for "toad popping". Under this belief, the toads inflate their lungs to make swallowing difficult, but the fangs would penetrate the lungs and deflate them. However, whole toads with intact lungs are commonly regurgitated by recently captured hognoses.

The coloration of this essentially spotted snake is extremely variable,with color phases ranging from yellow and brown to black and gray. The most reliable field work is the turned-up, hoglike snout, which is used for digging out the toads that are its primary food.

Elaps Harlequin Snake

Micrurus fulvius is a venomous elapid snake found in the southeastern United States and northeastern Mexico. It should not be confused with the scarlet snake (Cemophora coccinea) or scarlet kingsnake (Lampropeltis triangulum elapsoides), which are harmless mimics. No subspecies are currently recognized.

Generally less than 80 cm (31 in) in length, its maximum reported length of 121.8 cm (48.0 in) was for a specimen in Florida (Niell, 1958) and 129.5 cm (51.0 in) (Roze, 1996). Males have longer tails than females, but females reach a greater total length.

The dorsal scales are smooth in 15 rows. The ventral scales number 197-217 in males and 219-233 in females. There are 40-47 subcaudals in males and 30-37 in females. The anal plate is divided.

The color pattern consists of a series of rings that encircle the body: wide red and black rings separated by narrow yellow rings. The head is black from the rostral to just behind the eyes. The red rings are usually speckled with black. People who live in its natural range are often taught a folk rhyme as children: "Red touches black, friend of Jack, red touches yellow, kill a fellow." The rhyme is useful in teaching children to distinguish king snakes (Lampropeltis ssp.), which are considered helpful predators of vermin such as rats and mice, from this much more dangerous snake that should only be handled by an experienced biologist or herpetologist. However, this rhyme is only applicable to the North American species, and cannot be used reliably in the Caribbean, or Central or South America.

Its common names include eastern coral snake, American cobra, candy stick, common coral snake, coral adder, Elaps harlequin snake, Florida coral snake, harlequin coral snake, North American coral snake, red bead snake, thunder-and-lightning snake, candy-stick snake, eastern coralsnake, Florida coralsnake, harlequin coralsnake, and serpiente-coralillo arlequín (Spanish).

Sakishima Habu Snake

Common names: elegant pitviper, Sakishima habu, elegant tree viper.

Trimeresurus elegans is a venomous pitviper species found in Japan in the southern Ryukyu Islands. No subspecies are currently recognized. The species is aggressive with large fangs. It can strike at over one half the length of its body.

Scalation includes 25 (sometimes 23) rows of dorsal scales at midbody, 179-192 or 182-196 ventral scales, 63-90 subcaudal scales and 8 (sometimes 7 or 9) supralabial scales.

Himehabu Snake

Ovophis okinavensis is a venomous pitviper species found in the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. No subspecies are currently recognized.

This is the longest Asian pitviper, adults are usually 30 to 80 cm long. Body usually pale greenish-brown, or yellowish-olive (sometimes pale brown), w/ alternating, darker brownish or greenish dorsal blotches, each bordered w/ yellowish scales. Head large, triangular, distinct from neck, narrow dark postocular stripe.

Scalation includes 23 or 21 rows of dorsal scales at midbody, 125-135 ventral scales, 36-55 paired subcaudal scales and 8 (sometimes 7 or 9) supralabial scales.

The color pattern consists of a gray ground color overlaid with a series of dark gray of grayish-black crossbands. A ventrolateral pattern of black spots against a gray-white background is also present.

Smooth Green Snake

The smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalis) is a nonvenomous North American colubrid. It is also referred to as the grass snake. It is a slender, "small medium" snake that measures 36–51 cm (14–20 in) as an adult. It gets its common name from its smooth dorsal scales, as opposed to the rough green snake. It is found in marshes, meadows, open woods, and along stream edges and is native to regions of Canada, Illinois, Virginia, Wyoming, New Mexico, Iowa, Missouri, Colorado, Texas, and northern Mexico. A non-aggressive snake, it seldom bites and usually flees when threatened. It mates in late spring to summer and females lay their eggs from June to September.

The smooth green snake is slender. Its size is classified as a "small medium" snake, reaching to 36–51 cm (14–20 in) as an adult. The longest smooth green snake was measured as being 66 cm (26 in) long. The tail makes up about 1/4 to 1/2 the total length of the snake; males have longer tails than females. It is uniform light green on its back, with a yellow or white belly, and has smooth dorsal scales, unlike those of the rough green snake. At birth, its scales are a different color than when it matures. At first, it can be olive green, blue-gray, or even brown, but after it sheds its skin for the first time, its scales becomes the characteristic bright green. The dorsal coloration can vary depending on location: bluish in Kansas, olive-tinted light brown in southeastern Texas, and bronze in northern Wisconsin. Typical for a nonvenomous snake, its eyes are large and round. It uses its tongue, red with a black end, by flicking it in and out of its mouth to "smell" what is around it.

Rough Green Snake

Opheodrys aestivus, commonly known as the rough green snake, is a nonvenomous North American colubrid. It is sometimes called grass snake or green grass snake, but these names are more commonly applied to the smooth green snake (Opheodrys vernalis). The European colubrid called grass snake (Natrix natrix) is unrelated. The rough green snake is docile, often allowing close approach by humans, and seldom bites.

The snake is bright green above and has a yellowish belly, affording it excellent camouflage in green vegetation. It has keeled dorsal scales. It grows up to 116 cm (45½ inches) in total length and is very thin.

Green Snake

Opheodrys is a genus of small to medium-sized colubrid snakes commonly referred to as green snakes. In North America the genus consists of two distinct species. As their common names imply, the Rough Green Snake has keeled dorsal scales, whereas the Smooth Green Snake has smooth dorsal scales.

Green snakes are so named because they are typically solid green in color dorsally, with a cream-colored or yellow underside. They are thin-bodied snakes that rarely exceed 90 cm (around 36 inches) in length. They have large eyes and blunt shaped heads.

Green snakes are often found in dense, low lying vegetation near a permanent water source. They have been known to follow human activity. They rely on their color for camouflage and will usually attempt to escape if threatened. Their primary diet is soft bodied arthropods, including crickets, spiders, moths, butterflies, and grasshoppers. Green snakes are oviparous.

Grass Snake

The grass snake (Natrix natrix), sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake, is a European nonvenomous snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians.

The grass snake is typically dark green or brown in colour with a characteristic yellow collar behind the head, which explains the alternative name ringed snake. The colour may also range from grey to black, with darker colours being more prevalent in colder regions, presumably owing to the thermal benefits of being dark in colour. The underside is whitish with irregular blocks of black, which are useful in recognizing individuals. In Great Britain, the grass snake is the largest reptile, reaching up to 190 centimetres (6 ft 3 in) total length, though such large specimens are rare. Females are considerably larger than males, typically reaching a size of 90–110 centimetres (2 ft 11 in–3 ft 7 in) when fully grown. Males are approximately 20 centimetres (8 in) shorter and significantly smaller in girth. Weight is about 240 grams (8 oz). Since the colour of its collar is often pale yellow to white in the Balkans region, the name for this snake in Serbian/Croatian language is belouška/bjelouška, which means white eared snake.

Cape Gopher Snake

The Cape or Baja Gopher Snake (Pituophis catenifer vertebralis) is a species of non-venomous, colubrid snake most commonly found in a small area of western Mexico. They have become an increasingly popular companion for people interested in the exotic pet trade due to their extreme color variations and relatively docile behavior.

The Cape Gopher is named after the location of its natural habitat, the Baja California Peninsula. Here, the snake can only be found at high elevations on the southern tip of the peninsula, where temperatures usually remain a mild 78°F (25.5°C). Hobbyists who own a Cape Gopher commonly assume that the snake's natural habitat is significantly warmer, then proceed to create a dangerously hot environment. This lack of understanding is presumably due to the snake's rarity.

A single Cape Gopher can exhibit wild color and pattern variations along the length of its body. Most begin with bright H-shaped marks in differing orange shades against an intense yellow background. As you trace the patterns down toward the tip of the tail, they begin to change in shape and darken until they are completely black while the yellow background loses its intensity. Other Cape Gophers' patterns begin as black stripes before evenly transforming into the familiar marks of the vertibralis family. When coiled up and alone, many people mistake the differing colors and patterns for a multiple number of snakes.

The average length of an adult Cape Gopher ranges from 36 - 66 in (91.5 - 168 cm). Hatchlings are born at a respectable 12 - 18 in (30.5 - 48 cm) in length. When threatened, the snake flattens its head while simultaneously vibrating its tail and hissing to closely imitate a rattlesnake.

Gopher Snake

Gopher Snake (BullSnake) is a harmless colubrid species found in North America. Six subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here. The specific name catenifer is Latin for 'chain bearing', referring to the dorsal color pattern. This snake is found throughout Kansas, and is most common in the third region. This snake is often mistaken for a diamondback rattlesnake but can be easily distinguished from a rattlesnake by the lack of black and white banding on its tail, and the narrower head it has.

Adults specimens are 36-84 inches (91–213 cm) in length. Dorsally they are yellowish or pale brown, with a series of large dark brown or black blotches, and smaller dark spots on the sides. Ventrally they are yellowish, either uniform or with brown markings.

Pacific gopher snake, coast gopher snake, bull snake, Churchill's bull snake, Oregon bull snake, Pacific pine snake, western bull snake, western gopher snake, Sonoran gopher snake, western pine snake, yellow gopher snake.

Glossy Snake

Arizona elegans is a medium-sized colubrid snake commonly referred to as the glossy snake. The genus Arizona has only one officially recognized species, A. elegans, with several subspecies. Some have recommended that A. elegans occidentalis be granted full species status.

The glossy snake and its many subspecies are all similar in appearance to gopher snakes. However, they are smaller than gopher snakes, with narrow, pointed heads, and a variety of skin patterns and colors. They are nonvenomous, nocturnal predators of small mammals and lizards. Most subspecies are ca. 75-130 cm (ca. 30-50 inches) in length and are shades of tan, brown, and gray with spotted patterns on their smooth, glossy skin and a white or cream-colored unmarked ventral surface. Coloration often varies in relation to the color of the soil in a snake's native habitat.

Texas Garter Snake

The Texas Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis annectens) is a subspecies of the common garter snake (T. sirtalis) endemic to the United States.

Completely harmless, and members of the colubrid family, they are easily mistaken for other garter snake species. They have a greenish-black back with a distinctive bright orange or red stripe down the center and yellowish stripes on either side of the body.

San Francisco Garter Snake

The San Francisco Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) is a slender multi-colored subspecies of the common garter snake. Designated as an endangered subspecies since the year 1967, it is endemic to San Mateo County and the extreme northern part of coastal Santa Cruz County in California. Some researchers estimate that there are only 1,000 to 2,000 adult snakes of the subspecies T. s. tetrataenia remaining. However, the full extent of the snakes' habitat has not been fully documented, and many snakes may utilize creeks and other waterways that are currently unexplored. This garter snake prefers wet and marshy areas, and because of its elusive nature, it is difficult to see or capture.

This subspecies of the common garter snake is found in scattered wetland areas on the San Francisco Peninsula from approximately the northern boundary of San Mateo County south along the eastern and western bases of the Santa Cruz Mountains, at least to the Upper Crystal Springs Reservoir, and along the Pacific coast south to Año Nuevo Point, and thence to Waddell Creek in Santa Cruz County. It is difficult to obtain reliable distribution information and population statistics for the San Francisco garter snake, because of the elusive nature of this reptile and the fact that much of the remaining suitable habitat is located on private property that has not been surveyed for the presence of the snake. This subspecies is extremely shy, difficult to locate and capture, and quick to flee to water or cover when disturbed. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has stated that many locations that previously had healthy populations of garter snakes are now in decline due to land development pressure and the filling of wetlands in San Mateo County over the last sixty years. However, in many areas where it still occurs it is not rare, and is actually quite common and can be viewed with good success once its behavior is understood.

The snake’s preferred habitat is a densely vegetated pond near an open hillside where it can sun, feed, and find cover in rodent burrows; however, markedly less suitable habitat can be successfully used. Temporary ponds and other seasonal freshwater bodies are also appropriate. This subspecies avoids brackish marsh areas because its preferred prey, the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii), cannot survive in saline water. Emergent and bankside vegetation such as cattails (Typha spp.), bulrushes (Scirpus spp.), and spike rushes (Juncus spp. and Eleocharis spp.) apparently are preferred and used for cover. The zone between stream and pond habitats and grasslands or bank sides is characteristically utilized for basking, while nearby dense vegetation or water often provide escape cover. The subspecies occasionally uses floating algal or rush mats, when available.

San Francisco garter snakes forage extensively in aquatic habitats. Adult snakes feed primarily on California red-legged frogs (Rana draytonii), which are federally listed as threatened. They may also feed on juvenile bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana), but they are unable to consume adults; in fact, adult bullfrogs prey on juvenile garter snakes, and may be a contributing factor in the population decline of the San Francisco garter snake. Newborn and juvenile San Francisco garter snakes depend heavily upon Pacific treefrogs (Hyla regilla) as prey. If newly metamorphosed Pacific treefrogs are not available, the young garter snakes may not survive. San Francisco garter snakes are one of the few animals capable of ingesting the toxic California newt (Taricha torosa) without incurring sickness or death.

Common Garter Snake

The Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis) is a numerous snake indigenous to North America. Most garter snakes have a pattern of yellow stripes on a brown or green background and their average length is about 55 cm (22 in), maximum about 137 cm (54 in). The average body mass is 150 g (5.3 oz).

The Common Garter Snake is a diurnal snake. In summer, it is most active in the morning and late afternoon; in cooler seasons or climates, it restricts its activity to the warm afternoons.

In warmer southern areas, the snake is active year-round; otherwise, it sleeps in common dens, sometimes in great numbers. On warm winter afternoons, some snakes have been observed emerging from their hibernacula to bask in the sun.

The saliva of a garter snake may be toxic to amphibians and other small animals. For humans, a bite is not dangerous, though it may cause slight itching, burning, and/or swelling. Most garter snakes also secrete a foul-smelling fluid from postanal glands when handled or harmed.

Checkered Garter Snake

Thamnophis marcianus, commonly known as the checkered garter snake, is a species of garter snake endemic to the southern United States, Mexico and Central America. The specific name or epithet, marcianus, is in honor of American Brigadier General Randolph B. Marcy, who led surveying expeditions to the frontier areas in the mid 19th century.

The checkered garter snake is typically green in color, with a distinct, black checkerboard pattern down its back. It is capable of growing to a total length of 42 inches (107 cm), but 28 inches (71 cm) is closer to average.

Garter Snake

The Garter snake is a Colubrid snake genus (Thamnophis) common across North America, ranging from Alaska and Canada to Central America. It is the single most widely distributed genus of reptile in North America. The garter snake is also the Massachusetts state reptile.

There is no real consensus on the classification of species of Thamnophis. Disagreement among taxonomists and sources, such as field guides, over whether two types of snakes are separate species or subspecies of the same species is common. They are also closely related to the snakes of the genus Nerodia, and some species have been moved back and forth between genera.

Garter snakes have complex systems of pheromonal communication. They can find other snakes by following their pheromone-scented trails. Male and female skin pheromones are so different as to be immediately distinguishable. However, sometimes male garter snakes produce both male and female pheromones. During mating season, this fact fools other males into attempting to mate with them. This causes the transfer of heat to them in kleptothermy which is an advantage immediately after hibernation so allowing them to be more active. Male snakes giving off both male and female pheromones have been shown to garner more copulations than normal males in the mating balls that form at the den when females emerge into the mating melee.

If disturbed, a garter snake may coil and strike, but typically it will hide its head and flail its tail. These snakes will also discharge a malodorous, musky-scented secretion from a gland near the cloaca. They often use these techniques to escape when ensnared by a predator. They will also slither into the water to escape a predator on land. Hawks, crows, raccoons, crayfish and other snake species (such as the coral snake and king snake) will eat garter snakes, with even shrews and frogs eating the juveniles.

Being heterothermic, like all reptiles, garter snakes bask in the sun to regulate their body temperature. During hibernation, garter snakes typically occupy large, communal sites called hibernacula. These snakes will migrate large distances to brumate.