Alabama Snakes: Identification Guide With Pictures

Venom: “There are six species of venomous snakes in Alabama. Those species include the copperhead, cottonmouth, eastern diamondback rattlesnake, timber rattlesnake, pygmy rattlesnake, and eastern coral snake.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: The northern copperhead is found from the Alabama-Tennessee boundary southward to the Tennessee River. It may be found in extreme northeastern Alabama below the Tennessee River.

Habitat: Copperheads are found in greatest numbers in forested areas that have numerous rocky bluffs and ravines. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “There are six species of venomous snakes in Alabama. Those species include the copperhead, cottonmouth, eastern diamondback rattlesnake, timber rattlesnake, pygmy rattlesnake, and eastern coral snake.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Habitat: Any wetlands or waterways within their range. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “There are six species of venomous snakes in Alabama. Those species include the copperhead, cottonmouth, eastern diamondback rattlesnake, timber rattlesnake, pygmy rattlesnake, and eastern coral snake.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: East of the Mississippi River, extending from southeastern North Carolina southward through parts of South Carolina and Georgia, all of Florida and westward through southern parts of Alabama and Mississippi, into the southeastern extreme of Louisiana (Roze and Tilger 1983). In Alabama, formerly considered “common” along the lower Coastal Plain and infrequent in the Red Hills.

Habitat: A variety in the Southern Pine Plains and Hills ecoregion. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “There are six species of venomous snakes in Alabama. Those species include the copperhead, cottonmouth, eastern diamondback rattlesnake, timber rattlesnake, pygmy rattlesnake, and eastern coral snake.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is locally common in suitable habitat regions of extreme south Alabama in the lower coastal plains and the adjacent band of red hills to the north.

Habitat: Favored habitats for the diamondback include dry pine flatwoods and longleaf pine-turkey oak hills. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “There are six species of venomous snakes in Alabama. Those species include the copperhead, cottonmouth, eastern diamondback rattlesnake, timber rattlesnake, pygmy rattlesnake, and eastern coral snake.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: In Alabama, Carolina pigmy rattlesnakes occur across the northern one-third of the state and in the eastern portion of the state southward to Lee County. Dusky pigmy rattlesnakes are restricted to the Lower Coastal Plain, typically in sandy pinelands and scrubby areas.

Habitat: This species is found in a variety of habitats including everglades prairies, palmetto-pine flatwoods, sandhills, mixed pine-hardwood forests, borders of cypress ponds, and in the vicinity of lakes and marshes. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “There are six species of venomous snakes in Alabama. Those species include the copperhead, cottonmouth, eastern diamondback rattlesnake, timber rattlesnake, pygmy rattlesnake, and eastern coral snake.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Habitat: Timber rattlesnakes inhabit upland and lowland habitats such as hardwood forest with rocky outcrops, pine flatwoods, bottomland hardwood forests, and cane thickets. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: From eastern Texas to near the eastern boundary of Alabama and from the Gulf Coast to southern Iowa and western Illinois. In Alabama, found in all ecoregions from the Gulf Coast of Mobile County to southern Lamar County along the western edge of state (Southern Pine Plains and Hills, Buhrstone/Lime Hills, Flatwoods/Alluvial Prairie Margins, and Blackland Prairie Ecoregions) but become restricted to counties of the Blackland Prairie, Flatwoods/Alluvial Prairie Margins, and Buhrstone/Lime Hills Ec

Habitat: Thought to have a color pattern adapted to grassland areas. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: Black kingsnakes inhabit areas from southern Ohio, western West Virginia, southeastern Illinois and south to northeastern Mississippi, north Alabama, and northwestern Georgia.

Habitat: They thrive in many habitats including hardwood and pine forests, bottomlands and swamps, farmlands and suburban areas. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: Coastal Plain from extreme southeastern Louisiana through southern Mississippi into southwestern Alabama. Recorded in Alabama from Mobile, Clarke, and Washington Counties, and probably occurs in southern Choctaw County (Mount 1975).

Habitat: Xeric, fire-maintained longleaf pine forest having sandy, well-drained soils preferred, usually on hilltops, ridges, and toward the tops of slopes, with open canopy, reduced midstory, and dense herbaceous understory. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: Two subspecies exist both of which occur in Alabama. The northern black racer (Coluber constrictor constrictor) is found in Alabama’s northeastern counties while the southern subspecies (Coluber constrictor priapus) occupies the remainder of the state.

Habitat: Black racers are generalists with regard to the habitats they inhabit. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: The brown water snake is native to the Coastal Plain and some of the Piedmont of the southeastern United States. It can be found as far north as Virginia, south through all of Florida, and west to extreme southeastern Alabama.

Habitat: Brown water snakes usually are found in the slow moving waters of canals and rivers, and sometimes in lakes. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: Common essentially statewide, but lack of records from much of southeastern Coastal Plain may reflect actual scarcity or absence there. One of Alabama's most common snakes north of Buhrstone/Lime Hills.

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: Populations of diamondback water snakes are concentrated primarily in and around the Mississippi River drainage, but their range extends north to southern Illinois and Indiana, west to Texas, Mexico, and Oklahoma, and eastward into Alabama. In Alabama they are most often found in the Tombigbee and Black Warrior river watersheds in the western half of the state.

Habitat: Diamondback water snakes, as their name suggests, inhabit aquatic environments such as rivers, lakes, ponds, marshes, swamps, streams, canals, ditches, and creeks. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Habitat: Coachwhips are most often found in dry, relatively open areas. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Habitat: Eastern garter snakes are found in a variety of habitats from marshes to hillsides and from drainage ditches to vacant lots and damp woodlands. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: Including Alabama. [...] The historical range of the Eastern Indigo Snake was from the east coast of South Carolina down thru southern Georgia, Florida, into south Alabama and southwest Mississippi.

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: Throughout the eastern United States from New Jersey to northern Florida, and confined in southeastern and southern Alabama to Lee, Macon, Russell, Barbour, Henry, Houston, Bullock, Pike, Dale, Coffee, Geneva, Crenshaw, Butler, Covington, Escambia, and Baldwin Counties—and on Dauphin Island in Mobile County (Mount 1975).

Habitat: Nearly all terrestrial habitats with a relatively open canopy including native longleaf pine forest, annually burned pinelands, fields and meadows, abandoned farms, rural garbage dumps, and margins of ponds and streams. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: It’s range extends southward on the east coast to northern New Jersey then runs down through the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia and Alabama and westward through Kentucky into western Tennessee. In Alabama, L.

Habitat: Eastern milk snakes are found in diverse habitat settings which include coastal bottomlands, mixed pine-hardwood uplands, meadows, rocky outcrops, sand dunes, farmland, and suburban areas. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: There is some question as to whether the species can be found in Alabama. Although it has been documented in the Perdido River, Alabama’s boundary with Florida, specimens within Alabama proper have been identified as the very similar western green Watersnake (Nerodia cylopion).

Habitat: Florida green watersnakes are highly aquatic and prefer still wetlands with a high density of aquatic vegetation. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: Florida, southern Georgia, southeastern Alabama, and extreme southern South Carolina. In Alabama, specimens have been collected from Russell, Covington, and Crenshaw Counties.

Habitat: Principally found in the sandhill habitat where longleaf pine and scrub oaks (especially turkey oak) dominate and the gopher tortoise and southeastern pocket gopher occurs. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Habitat: Highly aquatic, glossy crayfish snakes can be observed in many different wetland types but may be most often encountered in areas with a high density of aquatic vegetation and mucky substrates. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Habitat: Occurs in most kinds of terrestrial habitats but attains greatest densities in areas where forests and farmland are generally intermixed and small rodents are relatively abundant. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: The Atlantic salt marsh snake (Nerodia clarkii taeniata) is found only in two counties along Florida’s eastern coastline. [...] The gulf salt marsh snake is found from the central Gulf coast of Florida north and westward along the Gulf coast to south Texas.

Habitat: Gulf salt marsh snakes inhabit coastal salt marshes and brackish estuaries. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: Common statewide, except southernmost portions of Coastal Plain, where apparently confined to immediate vicinity of Conecuh, Yellow, and Choctawhatchee Rivers. A conspicuous inhabitant of ponds, lakes, and streams, and the most frequently encountered water snake in the northern two-thirds of Alabama.

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Habitat: Mississippi green water snakes prefer calm waters such as lakes, ponds, swamps, marshes, or bayous. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: A rarely encountered and secretive species, it is difficult to accurately delineate its range within Alabama. Mount verified a number of specimens generally from the north-central portion of the state but also identified records around Mobile.

Habitat: If one were to characterize mole kingsnake habitat based on where most individuals are encountered, the temptation would be to conclude they prefer to live on the road. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Habitat: Mud snakes inhabit swamps, marshes, ponds, and slow moving mud-bottom streams. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: Confined to southern Georgia, extreme southern Alabama, and northern Florida. In Alabama, only known from three localities in Covington County (Mount 1975) and one in Escambia County west of Conecuh River (Bailey 1987).

Habitat: Canals, ditches, cypress ponds, lakes, and swamps, especially those with lush vegetation. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: From New Jersey to South Carolina and Georgia westward to Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama. In Alabama, local in mountainous areas of the northern portion extending southward into the Coastal Plain of central Alabama to the valley of the Alabama River.

Habitat: Open areas with early successional vegetation, especially habitats subjected to occasional fire, preferred as are dry, forested, or partially forested areas where soil is fairly sandy or loose and gravelly. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Habitat: This snake can be found hiding under leaf litter, logs, and other cover objects within hardwood forests and around wetland edges. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: In Alabama, scarlet snakes are found statewide except the mountainous regions of the northeastern part of the state. They are scattered and uncommon in the Piedmont region, and are most common in the Coastal Plain and Sandhills.

Habitat: Scarlet snakes are found in forested habitats having dry sandy soils. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: Peripheral and rare in southern Coastal Plain and southern Pine Plains and Hills of southwestern Alabama where known from only a few localities in Mobile, Washington, and Baldwin Counties.

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Habitat: Plainbelly water snakes can be found in a variety of aquatic habitats, but are most common in larger, more permanent bodies of water such as rivers, swamps, marshes, and ponds. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: The mole kingsnake is found to the south and east of this distribution, and is the predominant subspecies in Alabama (Mount 1975). The prairie kingsnake has a peripheral distribution in Alabama, with a handful of specimens confirmed only from Madison County in the extreme northern portion of the state (Mount 1975), although it likely occurs in scattered locations in the surrounding counties north of the Tennessee River.

Habitat: A resident of open or semi-open habitats, as opposed to the mole kingsnake’s preference for more forested areas. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Habitat: Queen snakes are highly aquatic snakes most commonly found in smaller streams and rivers with moving water, but can also be found in ponds and lakes. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: Occurs across Coastal Plain from Maryland and Virginia to Mississippi and Louisiana, extending southward into central Florida. [...] Other subspecies confined to Glades County, Florida (Mitchell 1982).

Habitat: Semi-aquatic, exhibiting a preference for spring-fed runs, clear streams, and clear rivers, reportedly tolerating saltwater habitats such as, marshes, bay shores, inlets, and estuaries (Neill 1964, Palmer and Braswell 1995). (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Habitat: Found in wooded groves, rocky hillsides, meadowlands, around springs, woodlots, barnyards and abandoned houses. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Habitat: Red milk snakes are usually associated with dry, open woodlands and woodland edges. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Habitat: Ringneck snakes are found in wooded, terrestrial type habitats, commonly under objects such as stumps, logs and leaf litter, and can be found in gardens, flower beds and occasionally in salt marshes. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: In Alabama, rough earth snakes are fairly common throughout the Coastal Plain and lower portions of the Piedmont, Blue Ridge, and Ridge and Valley regions. They are absent from northeastern portions of the Appalachian Plateau and Ridge and Valley regions.

Habitat: Rough earth snakes are found in a variety of forested habitats having abundant ground cover. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Habitat: Rough green snakes are found in a variety of habitats. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Habitat: The scarlet kingsnake is found in pinelands and hardwood hammocks. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Habitat: Although they may be find in a variety of upland habitats throughout their range, they likely prefer forests with well-drained soils and lots of cover in Alabama. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: Occurs in the Coastal Plain from southern Mississippi to southeastern North Carolina and historically in the Ridge and Valley region of central Alabama. [...] In Alabama, the southern hognose snake has not been observed in over 20 years.

Habitat: Found in dry, upland habitats. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Range: There are 4 subspecies found in the eastern United States: the banded water snake; the Florida water snake; the broad-banded water snake; and the Gulf Coast salt marsh snake.

Habitat: As the name implies, Southern water snakes are found in association with aquatic habitats to include ponds, rivers, lakes, marshes, swamps, and temporary (ephemeral) ponds. (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Venom: “Below is a list of non venomous Snakes found in alabama.” (Outdoor Alabama)

Habitat: Worm snakes are fossorial in nature, in other words, they spend most of their life underground. (Outdoor Alabama)