Alabama snakes: ID chart
50 snakes, 6 venomous (listed first). Last checked November 3, 2026.
The 6 venomous snakes come first: Copperhead, Cottonmouth, Eastern Coral Snake, Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, Pigmy Rattlesnake, Timber Rattlesnake. The rest follow from A to Z, each with a photo where we have one and a short note on where it lives in Alabama. The chart prints on letter or A4 paper; on screen, open any name on the Alabama snakes page for photos, range and sources.
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Copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix
Venomous
The northern copperhead is found from the Alabama-Tennessee boundary southward to the Tennessee River …
Cottonmouth
Agkistrodon piscivorus
Venomous
Agkistrodon piscivorus is found in the southeastern states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North …
Eastern Coral Snake
Micrurus fulvius
Venomous
East of the Mississippi River, extending from southeastern North Carolina southward through parts of South …
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
Crotalus adamanteus
Venomous
The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is locally common in suitable habitat regions of extreme south Alabama in …
Pigmy Rattlesnake
Sistrurus miliarius
Venomous
In Alabama, Carolina pigmy rattlesnakes occur across the northern one-third of the state and in the eastern …
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Timber Rattlesnake
Crotalus horridus
Venomous
It can be found in all 67 Alabama counties.
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Black "Speckled" Kingsnake
Lampropeltis nigra
Non-venomous
From eastern Texas to near the eastern boundary of Alabama and from the Gulf Coast to southern Iowa and …
Black Kingsnake
Lampropeltis nigra
Non-venomous
Black kingsnakes inhabit areas from southern Ohio, western West Virginia, southeastern Illinois and south to …
Black Pine Snake
Pituophis melanoleucus lodingi
Non-venomous
Coastal Plain from extreme southeastern Louisiana through southern Mississippi into southwestern Alabama …
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Black Racer
Coluber constrictor
Non-venomous
Two subspecies exist both of which occur in Alabama …
Brown Water Snake
Nerodia taxispilota
Non-venomous
The brown water snake is native to the Coastal Plain and some of the Piedmont of the southeastern United …
Brownsnake
Storeria dekayi ssp
Non-venomous
Common essentially statewide, but lack of records from much of southeastern Coastal Plain may reflect actual …
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Diamond-backed Water Snake
Nerodia rhombifer
Non-venomous
Populations of diamondback water snakes are concentrated primarily in and around the Mississippi River …
Eastern Coachwhip
Coluber flagellum flagellum
Non-venomous
Flagellum, the eastern coachwhip, occurs in Alabama …
Eastern Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis
Non-venomous
Fairly common statewide. Frequently encountered, especially in northern Alabama.
Eastern Hognose Snake
Heterodon platirhinos
Non-venomous
They may be found throughout Alabama, but are more common in woodlands with sandy soil, fields, farmland, and …
Eastern Indigo Snake
Drymarchon corais couperi
Non-venomous
Including Alabama. [...] The historical range of the Eastern Indigo Snake was from the east coast of South …
Eastern Kingsnake
Lampropeltis getula
Non-venomous
Throughout the eastern United States from New Jersey to northern Florida, and confined in southeastern and …
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Eastern Milk Snake
Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum
Non-venomous
It’s range extends southward on the east coast to northern New Jersey then runs down through the Appalachian …
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Eastern Ribbon Snake
Thamnophis sauritus sauritus
Non-venomous
Fairly common statewide, but not as frequently encountered as in the past.
Eastern Smooth Earth Snake
Virginia valeriae valeriae
Non-venomous
Common statewide.
Florida Green Water Snake
Nerodia floridana
Non-venomous
There is some question as to whether the species can be found in Alabama …
Florida Pine Snake
Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus
Non-venomous
Florida, southern Georgia, southeastern Alabama, and extreme southern South Carolina …
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Glossy Crayfish Snake
Regina rigida sinicola
Non-venomous
Ranging throughout the southeastern United States Coastal Plain from North Carolina to Texas …
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Gray Ratsnake
Pantherophis spiloides
Non-venomous
Fairly common statewide.
Gulf Saltmarsh Snake
Nerodia clarkii
Non-venomous
The Atlantic salt marsh snake (Nerodia clarkii taeniata) is found only in two counties along Florida’s …
Midland Water Snake
Nerodia sipedon pleuralis
Non-venomous
Common statewide, except southernmost portions of Coastal Plain, where apparently confined to immediate …
Mississippi Green Water Snake
Nerodia cyclopion
Non-venomous
In Alabama, they are found only in Mobile and Baldwin Counties.
Mole Kingsnake
Lampropeltis calligaster rhombomaculata
Non-venomous
A rarely encountered and secretive species, it is difficult to accurately delineate its range within Alabama …
Mud Snake
Farancia abacura
Non-venomous
Uncommon to fairly common throughout Coastal Plain, wherever suitable habitat is found.
North Florida Swamp Snake
Regina pygaea pygaea
Non-venomous
Confined to southern Georgia, extreme southern Alabama, and northern Florida …
Northern Pine Snake
Pituophis melanoleucus melanoleucus
Non-venomous
From New Jersey to South Carolina and Georgia westward to Kentucky, Tennessee, and Alabama …
Northern Red-bellied Snake
Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata
Non-venomous
It’s likely they occur in every county in Alabama.
Northern Scarlet Snake
Cemophora coccinea copei
Non-venomous
In Alabama, scarlet snakes are found statewide except the mountainous regions of the northeastern part of the …
Pine Woods Littersnake
Rhadinaea flavilata
Non-venomous
Peripheral and rare in southern Coastal Plain and southern Pine Plains and Hills of southwestern Alabama …
Plain-bellied Water Snake
Nerodia erythrogaster
Non-venomous
In Alabama, N. e. erythrogaster is confined to the extreme southeastern counties while N. e. flavigaster is …
Prairie Kingsnake
Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster
Non-venomous
The mole kingsnake is found to the south and east of this distribution, and is the predominant subspecies in …
Queen Snake
Regina septemvittata
Non-venomous
Found throughout Alabama, except for extreme southwestern counties (Washington and Mobile).
Rainbow Snake
Farancia erytrogramma erytrogramma
Non-venomous
Occurs across Coastal Plain from Maryland and Virginia to Mississippi and Louisiana, extending southward into …
Red Cornsnake
Pantherophis guttatus
Non-venomous
Coastal Plain populations have declined sharply.
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Red Milk Snake
Lampropeltis triangulum syspila
Non-venomous
Triangulum syspila extends from northwest Alabama west and north into Oklahoma, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and …
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Ringneck Snake
Diadophis punctatus
Non-venomous
Ringneck snakes are found throughout Alabama.
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Rough Earth Snake
Virginia striatula
Non-venomous
In Alabama, rough earth snakes are fairly common throughout the Coastal Plain and lower portions of the …
Rough Green Snake
Opheodrys aestivus aestivus
Non-venomous
Uncommon to fairly common statewide.
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Scarlet Kingsnake
Lampropeltis elapsoides
Non-venomous
In Alabama they are found in the piney woods and sandhill regions of the lower coastal plain.
Southeastern Crowned Snake
Tantilla coronata
Non-venomous
Within Alabama, the species is likely present statewide with the possible exception of the southeastern …
Southern Hognose Snake
Heterodon simus
Non-venomous
Occurs in the Coastal Plain from southern Mississippi to southeastern North Carolina and historically in the …
Southern Water Snake
Nerodia fasciata
Non-venomous
There are 4 subspecies found in the eastern United States: the banded water snake; the Florida water snake …
Western Smooth Earth Snake
Virginia valeriae elegans
Non-venomous
Documented from Mobile and Sumter Counties. Most Alabama smooth earthsnake populations are V.v.
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Worm Snake
Carphophis amoenus ssp
Non-venomous
They are fairly common throughout most of Alabama, though they are seldom encountered.
A picture cannot confirm what an animal is or that it is safe. Never handle a wild animal. Sources: Black Kingsnake (Outdoor Alabama); Non Venomous Snakes (Outdoor Alabama); Black Pine Snake (Outdoor Alabama); Black Racer (Outdoor Alabama); Black "Speckled" Kingsnake (Outdoor Alabama); Brown Water Snake (Outdoor Alabama); and others listed on the web page. stateswildlife.com/alabama/snakes/