This page lists 36 snakes: all from Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife's Reptiles of Indiana List.
4 are venomous by official accounts: Copperhead, Cottonmouth, Eastern Massasauga and Timber Rattlesnake. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife gives a total of 32; the 36 here are the snakes official sources name one by one.
Venomous snakes in Indiana
Official sources label these snakes venomous in Indiana. Venomous snakes in Indiana has more on each one.
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Habitat: This nocturnal reptile lives in dry, rocky areas, but can be found in old outbuildings and barns. (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Habitat: Eastern massasaugas tend to inhabit wetland areas but may also use drier habitats. They have been found to occur in marshy grasslands, lake edges, fens, dry prairie and woodland, and forested swampland. (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Habitat: Indiana's largest venomous snake lives on dry forested hillsides and hibernates in dens. (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Habitat: Common gartersnakes are found in a wide variety of habitats, but are most often found in wet, open, grassy places. (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Indiana state endangered; federally threatened (northern population segment only)
What the sources say
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Most adults 9 to 13 inches; occasionally up to about 20 inches.
How to recognize it
Dark top of head; a dark spot under each eye and on each side of the neck
Keeled (ridged) scales in 17 rows; round pupil
Tennessee: a small dark downward streak on the side of the head
JFMAMJJASOND
88 records by month.What the sources say
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Habitat: Common gartersnakes are found in a wide variety of habitats, but are most often found in wet, open, grassy places. (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Habitat: Eastern hog-nosed snakes prefer dry, open habitats such as fields and forest edges. (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Eastern milksnake 24 to 52 inches (Alabama); TN gives 24 to 36 inches for eastern and 21 to 28 for red milksnake.
How to recognize it
Eastern milksnake: black-and-white checkerboard belly (Ohio). Western milksnake in Louisiana: underside dull white with scattered black marks.
Eastern milksnake: a light Y- or V-shaped mark is usually present on the nape
Smooth, shiny scales and round pupils
JFMAMJJASOND
37 records by month.What the sources say
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Habitat: The Common watersnake is the most common aquatic snake in Indiana and may be found in nearly any aquatic habitat including around ponds, lakes, swamps, streams and backyard fish ponds. (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Habitat: The Common watersnake is the most common aquatic snake in Indiana and may be found in nearly any aquatic habitat including around ponds, lakes, swamps, streams and backyard fish ponds. (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Photo: Photo Credit: Krista Lundgren/USFWS USFWS Mountain-Prairie · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Usually 8 to 10 inches; state figures run from about 4 to 16 inches, with a Florida record of 16.6 inches.
How to recognize it
Plain, unmarked red or orange belly.
Three light spots just behind the head, which may fuse into a collar.
Keeled (ridged) scales in 15 rows at midbody and round pupils.
What the sources say
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Most adults are 14 to 33 inches long (Florida Museum), with a record of 46 inches. Maryland, Missouri, Tennessee and Arkansas give 22 to 32 inches. The tail is long and thin, about a third or more of the total length.
How to recognize it
Keeled (ridged) scales in 17 rows, which feel rough; the smooth green snake has smooth scales.
Extremely long, thin tail and round pupils.
Large eyes.
Conservation
Indiana species of special concern
What the sources say
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Venom: “Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").” (Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife)
Copperheads have bold hourglass-shaped bands, and young copperheads under about 12 inches have bright yellow tail tips. Brown snakes have small spots, not hourglass bands.
Brown Snake (Dekay's Brownsnake) or Red-bellied Snake?
Missouri: red-bellied snakes are sometimes mistaken for young copperheads. Copperheads are stout-bodied with hourglass-shaped markings on the back, vertical pupils, a sensory pit between each nostril and eye and, sometimes, especially in young copperheads, a yellow tail tip.
The smooth green snake has smooth scales, is generally smaller and rarely climbs. Missouri: the scales of a rough greensnake feel rough, and the smooth greensnake is a grassland species. SREL: the smooth green snake replaces this species in the Appalachian Mountains and the Northeast. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks
The copperhead's head is coppery with no marks; the milksnake's head is light with brownish marks (Pennsylvania). Tennessee: copperhead has a copper-colored, unmarked head and triangular shapes on the side of the body. Pennsylvania says the eastern milksnake is the snake most often killed by mistake for a copperhead. Belly colour is not used here: Pennsylvania's own pages describe the copperhead belly two different ways (uniform cream in one account, mottled white to gray in another).
Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.
When snakes are active in Indiana
Records of snakes in Indiana peak in April to June and August. They show when people record snakes, not how many there are (about month bars).
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
703 records of snakes in Indiana by month (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records).
Call 911 or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 right away. Poison Help connects you to your local poison center, any time of day.
Official advice from Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks and Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife:
Invasive species: report online via EDDMapS or the GLEDN app; terrestrial invasives 1-866-NO-EXOTIC (1-866-663-9684), [email protected]; aquatic invasives [email protected]. Nuisance wildlife: DNR does not remove wildlife; hire a licensed wildlife control operator; DNR Customer Service 317-232-4200 or [email protected]. Mammal sightings (armadillo, mountain lion, etc.): DNR Report a Mammal form. Gecko / wall lizard sightings: [email protected]. Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Yes. Indiana DNR: four of Indiana's 32 snake species are venomous: timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead and cottonmouth. Only the copperhead is somewhat common; the other three are rare and state endangered. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife
“Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin"). Only copperheads can be considered somewhat common and can be found in the forested hills of southern and west-central Indiana. The remaining three are rare and listed as state endangered species.”
“Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake - Federally Threatened - Northern third of Indiana. Timber Rattlesnake - State Endangered - South central Indiana.”
Are there water moccasins (cottonmouths) in Indiana?
Rarely. DNR: the cottonmouth is state endangered and found only in one small area of southwestern Indiana. The common watersnake is often called "water moccasin" in Indiana and is non-venomous. (A 2017 DNR State Parks brochure said the cottonmouth was most likely extirpated.) Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife
“Cottonmouth - State Endangered - Only found in one small area in southwestern Indiana.”
Reptiles of Indiana List. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife. page states "Revised September 2021"; checked November 3, 2026.
Amphibians and Reptiles FAQs. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife. dateModified 2026-03-09; checked November 3, 2026.Quoted passages (2)
“Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin").”
“Yes. Among Indiana's 32 species of snakes, four are venomous: the timber rattlesnake, eastern massasauga, copperhead, and cottonmouth (also known as the "water moccasin"). Only copperheads can be considered somewhat common and can be found in the forested hills of southern and west-central Indiana. The remaining three are rare and listed as state endangered species.”
Common Gartersnake. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife. dateModified 2026-03-09; checked November 3, 2026.
Common Watersnake. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife. dateModified 2026-03-09; checked November 3, 2026.
Eastern Hog-nosed Snake. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife. dateModified 2026-03-09; checked November 3, 2026.
Common Snakes of Indiana State Parks (brochure). Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks (Interpretive Services). brochure dated 9/2017; checked November 3, 2026.Quoted passages (5)
“The Northern copperhead is Indiana's most common venomous snake. … The bite of this snake is extremely painful but rarely life threatening.”
“The timber rattlesnake is endangered in Indiana. Indiana's largest venomous snake lives on dry forested hillsides and hibernates in dens.”
“If you think the snake was venomous, or if you are unsure, call or have a friend call 911 and contact property staff.”
“Avoid bites by watching snakes in their natural habitat instead of picking them up. Look closely before stepping when hiking trails or fishing along lake edges.”
“The smooth green snake has smooth scales. It rarely climbs and is generally smaller than the rough green snake.”
Snakes. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife. dateModified 2026-03-09; checked November 3, 2026.Quoted passages (4)
“If you leave a snake alone, it will leave you alone. When a snake bites a person, it does so in self-defense.”
“They tend to be more active during the day in spring and fall, and more active early morning and evening during the heat of summer. … Snakes hibernate from late fall through early spring.”
“Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake - Federally Threatened - Northern third of Indiana. Timber Rattlesnake - State Endangered - South central Indiana.”
“Cottonmouth - State Endangered - Only found in one small area in southwestern Indiana.”
Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish & Wildlife. dateModified 2026-03-09; checked November 3, 2026.Quoted passages (1)
“Nevertheless, caution should be taken when encountering a massasauga as their venom can be lethal to humans.”
Invasive Species. Indiana Department of Natural Resources. dateModified 2026-09-08; checked November 3, 2026.Quoted passages (1)
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
_(8bd5fbd1-6626-4d5b-b142-5ee7befe524b).jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
_-_Flickr_-_2ndPeter.jpg){kind=link}
,_zusammengerollt.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
_(43567652625).jpg){kind=link}
_-_Flickr_-_2ndPeter.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
