Kentucky has 4 venomous snakes named by official sources: Eastern Copperhead, Timber Rattlesnake, Northern Cottonmouth and Western Pigmy Rattlesnake. Each one is labelled venomous by KDFWR.
The 4 venomous snakes of Kentucky
Recognize them from a distance; a photo cannot confirm that a snake is safe. Identifying animals safely.
“Kentucky’s venomous snakes are the copperhead, cottonmouth, timber rattlesnake, and pigmy rattlesnake. All four species belong to a group of snakes called pit vipers.” KDFWR
Size
Adults usually about 2 to 3 feet (24-36 in); record about 53 inches.
How to recognize it
Vertical (cat-like) pupils and a heat-sensing pit between eye and nostril
Heavy-bodied; keeled scales
Head shape alone is not a reliable way to identify copperheads
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83 records by month.What the sources say
Venom: “Venomous - Species with the "" icon indicate that this species is venomous; please use caution when encountering this species.) … of the 32 types of snakes found in Kentucky, only four are venomous. … [species card:] EASTERN COPPERHEAD (Agkistrodon contortrix)” (KDFWR)
“Kentucky’s venomous snakes are the copperhead, cottonmouth, timber rattlesnake, and pigmy rattlesnake. All four species belong to a group of snakes called pit vipers.” KDFWR
Size
Typically 30 to 48 inches (about 3 to 4 feet); recorded up to 75 inches.
How to recognize it
Heat-sensing pit between nostril and eye; no rattle
Head much wider than the neck, with a dark bar from the eye to the jaw; vertical (cat-eye) pupils
Gapes to show the white lining of its mouth when threatened
Where in Kentucky
Physiographic Regions: Interior Plateau, Interior River Valley And Hills, Mississippi Alluvial Plain, Mississippi Valley Loess Plain KDFWR
Conservation
KY SWAP 2023 Species of Greatest Conservation Need; priority group: High; state rank S3
What the sources say
Venom: “Venomous - Species with the "" icon indicate that this species is venomous; please use caution when encountering this species.) … of the 32 types of snakes found in Kentucky, only four are venomous. … [species card:] NORTHERN COTTONMOUTH (Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma)” (KDFWR)
Habitat: Generally requires high south or west facing wooded bluffs providing mammal burrows and/or other underground retreats for successful hibernation. (KDFWR)
“Kentucky’s venomous snakes are the copperhead, cottonmouth, timber rattlesnake, and pigmy rattlesnake. All four species belong to a group of snakes called pit vipers.” KDFWR
Size
Most adults 36 to 60 inches (3 to 5 feet); record 74.5 inches.
How to recognize it
Black tail ending in a rattle
Heat-sensing pit between nostril and eye
Large, thick head distinct from the neck; cat-like vertical pupil
Where in Kentucky
Physiographic Regions: Cumberland Mountains, Cumberland Plateau, Plateau Escarpment, Bluegrass, Knobs, Interior Plateau, Interior River Valley And Hills, Mississippi … KDFWR
Conservation
KY SWAP 2023 Species of Greatest Conservation Need; priority group: Moderate; state rank S5
What the sources say
Venom: “Venomous - Species with the "" icon indicate that this species is venomous; please use caution when encountering this species.) … of the 32 types of snakes found in Kentucky, only four are venomous. … [species card:] TIMBER RATTLESNAKE (Crotalus horridus)” (KDFWR)
Range: Physiographic Regions: Cumberland Mountains, Cumberland Plateau, Plateau Escarpment, Bluegrass, Knobs, Interior Plateau, Interior River Valley And Hills, Mississippi Alluvial Plain, Mississippi Valley Loess Plain
Habitat: Most common in mature upland forest; often associated with cliffs and boulder-strewn slopes. Also uses powerline cuts, old mine sites, and abandoned quarries for basking and/or birthing areas. (KDFWR)
“Kentucky’s venomous snakes are the copperhead, cottonmouth, timber rattlesnake, and pigmy rattlesnake. All four species belong to a group of snakes called pit vipers.” KDFWR
KY SWAP 2023 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (data deficient); priority group: Data Deficient; state rank S1
What the sources say
Venom: “Venomous - Species with the "" icon indicate that this species is venomous; please use caution when encountering this species.) … of the 32 types of snakes found in Kentucky, only four are venomous. … [species card:] WESTERN PIGMY RATTLESNAKE (Sistrurus miliarius steckeri)” (KDFWR)
Habitat: Uses a variety of habitat, including margins of ag fields and cemeteries, rocky upland woods, periphery of gravel pit/quarry and associated roadsides. (KDFWR)
See all 33 snakes, venomous and not, on Kentucky snakes. KDFWR gives Kentucky 32 snake species in all; that page lists the 33 that official sources name one by one.
Also venomous. Juvenile cottonmouths have many dark spots and speckles inside their dark crossbands (copperhead bands have none or at most one). The Florida Museum says adult Florida cottonmouths are typically uniformly dark, but SCDNR says cottonmouth color ranges from dark brown and black to olive drab and yellow-tan, so a pale snake is not ruled out. The copperhead's eye is not obscured by the dark facial band typical of the cottonmouth. Cottonmouths are almost always associated with wetlands.
Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Northern water snake Non-venomous
Its dark bands form a 'reverse hourglass': wider across the back and narrower on the sides (the copperhead's are narrow on the back, wide on the sides). Older water snakes can look solid dark.
Milk snake blotches are outlined in black and widest across the middle of the back; belly is a black-and-white checkerboard (copperhead belly is mottled white to gray).
Young rat snakes (black rat snake / eastern ratsnake) Non-venomous
Hatchling and yearling rat snakes have irregular blotches, not hourglass bands, and turn virtually all black as adults (NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife). New Jersey says no other snake there has the copperhead's hourglass pattern; Delaware DNREC says the same for Delaware.
Named by Delaware DNREC and Rutgers as a frequent copperhead misidentification. Use the hourglass test: in Delaware only the copperhead has dark hourglass crossbands narrowest at the center of the back.
Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.
When venomous snakes are active in Kentucky
Records of snakes in Kentucky peak in April to June. They show when people record snakes, not how many there are (about month bars).
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
910 records of snakes in Kentucky by month (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records).
Copperheads give birth to live young in late summer or early fall. KDFWR
If you are bitten or stung
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 KDFWR:
If you find a snake and are unsure whether it is venomous, leave it alone; do not try to catch or kill it. KDFWR
Do not handle a freshly killed venomous snake; it can still bite by reflex. KDFWR
Snakebite: call 911 or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 and get to the nearest hospital right away. KDFWR
How to report
Report people feeding bears or aggressive bears to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife at 1-800-25ALERT (1-800-252-5378); report sick or injured bats via the KDFWR online Report a Bat form; report suspected fire ant mounds or stings to UK Entomology at [email protected]. KDFWR
Venom labels come only from official sources and link to them; "Not stated" never means harmless. How labels work.
Sources
Snakes (Snakes of Kentucky). Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR). archived copy, captured August 27, 2025; checked November 3, 2026.Quoted passages (38)
“…of the 32 types of snakes found in Kentucky, only four are venomous”
“Venomous - Species with the "" icon indicate that this species is venomous; please use caution when encountering this species.) … of the 32 types of snakes found in Kentucky, only four are venomous. … [species card:] EASTERN COPPERHEAD (Agkistrodon contortrix)”
“Venomous - Species with the "" icon indicate that this species is venomous; please use caution when encountering this species.) … of the 32 types of snakes found in Kentucky, only four are venomous. … [species card:] TIMBER RATTLESNAKE (Crotalus horridus)”
“Venomous - Species with the "" icon indicate that this species is venomous; please use caution when encountering this species.) … of the 32 types of snakes found in Kentucky, only four are venomous. … [species card:] NORTHERN COTTONMOUTH (Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma)”
“Venomous - Species with the "" icon indicate that this species is venomous; please use caution when encountering this species.) … of the 32 types of snakes found in Kentucky, only four are venomous. … [species card:] WESTERN PIGMY RATTLESNAKE (Sistrurus miliarius steckeri)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Broad-banded Watersnake (Nerodia fasciata confluens)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Central Ratsnake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Common Watersnake (Nerodia sipedon)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Common Wormsnake (Carphonphis amoenus)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Copperbelly Watersnake (Nerodia erythrogaster neglecta)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] DeKay's Brownsnake (Storeria dekayi)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Diamond-backed Watersnake (Nerodia rhombifer)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Eastern Black Kingsnake (Lampropeltis nigra)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Eastern Gartersnake (Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Eastern Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon platirhinos)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Eastern Milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Eastern Pinesnake (Pituophis melanoleucus)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Eastern Ribbonsnake (Thamnophis saurita saurita)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Kirtland's Snake (Clonophis kirtlandii)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Mississippi Green Watersnake (Nerodia cyclopion)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] North American Racer (Coluber consrictor)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Plain-bellied Water Snake (Nerodia erythrogaster)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Prairie Kingsnake (Lampropeltis calligaster)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Queensnake (Regina septemvittata)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Red Cornsnake (Pantherophis guttantus)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Red-bellied Mudsnake (Farancia abacura)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Red-bellied Snake (Storeria occipitomaculata)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Ring-necked Snake (Diadophis punctatus)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Rough Greensnake (Opheodrys aestivus)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Scarlet Kingsnake (Lampropeltis elaposoides)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Scarlet Snake (Cemophora coccinea)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Smooth Earthsnake (Virigina valeriae)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Southeastern Crowned Snake (Tantilla coronata)”
“Non-venomous (Harmless) - This gallery includes both egg-laying and live-bearing snakes that are harmless. … [species card:] Western Ribbonsnake (Thamnophis proximus)”
“When in doubt, leave it alone. Most snake bites are accidental and often come from trying to handle or kill a snake. If you are uncertain about the snake's identity, leave it alone. Don't try to catch or kill it.”
“Do not poke or prod at a freshly killed snake. Snakes may still exhibit active reflexes, such as slowly writhing their bodies, and may potentially bite. Do not handle a freshly killed venomous snake.”
“Seek immediate attention from the nearest hospital or medical facility. [Poison Help,”
“However, the state has never stocked rattlesnakes in Kentucky.”
Kentucky Snakes (booklet). Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR). archived copy, captured January 21, 2015; checked November 3, 2026.Quoted passages (2)
“Kentucky’s venomous snakes are the copperhead, cottonmouth, timber rattlesnake, and pigmy rattlesnake. All four species belong to a group of snakes called pit vipers.”
“Copperheads mate in the spring and the young are born alive in late summer or early fall.”
Black Bears. Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR). archived copy, captured September 14, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.Quoted passages (1)
“Immediately report any instances of people feeding bears to Kentucky Fish and Wildlife by calling 1-800-25ALERT (1-800-252-5378). [UK Entfact 469: "You can report a suspicious ant mound or a stinging event to the University of Kentucky Entomology Department through email, [email protected]"]”
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