Louisiana snakes: ID chart

50 snakes, 7 venomous (listed first). Last checked November 3, 2026.

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The 7 venomous snakes come first: Eastern Copperhead, Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnake, Harlequin Coralsnake, Northern Cottonmouth, Pygmy Rattlesnake, Texas Coralsnake, 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 Louisiana. The chart prints on letter or A4 paper; on screen, open any name on the Louisiana snakes page for photos, range and sources.

Eastern Copperhead

Agkistrodon contortrix

Venomous

Found throughout wooded and forested areas of Louisiana except for permanent swamps and coastal cheniers.

Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnake

Crotalus adamanteus

Venomous

Found in open pinelands in upland portions of Tangipahoa, Washington, and St. Tammany Parishes …

Harlequin Coralsnake

Micrurus fulvius

Venomous

Found in the Florida Parishes east of the upper Amite River and lower Tangipahoa River …

Northern Cottonmouth

Agkistrodon piscivorus

Venomous

Found throughout Louisiana …

Pygmy Rattlesnake

Sistrurus miliarius

Venomous

Found in upland areas and pine flatwoods in the Florida Parishes and northern and central Louisiana …

Texas Coralsnake

Micrurus tener

Venomous

Timber Rattlesnake

Crotalus horridus

Venomous

Inhabit wooded and forested areas, preferring hardwoods. Found in most of Louisiana except coastal marshes …

Ball Python

Python regius

Not stated

No confirmed photo of Boa Constrictor

Boa Constrictor

Boa constrictor

Not stated

Brahminy Blindsnake

Indotyphlops braminus

Not stated

Burmese Python

Python bivittatus

Not stated

Coachwhip Snake

Coluber flagellum

Non-venomous

Inhabit upland portions of the Florida Parishes, upland parts of central and northern Louisiana, and the pine …

Common Gartersnake

Thamnophis sirtalis

Non-venomous

Found in most habitats in Louisiana but known from very few localities west of the Red River and Atchafalaya …

Common Watersnake

Nerodia sipedon

Non-venomous

Found in the upland portions of the Florida Parishes …

Common Wormsnake

Carphophis amoenus

Non-venomous

Found in wooded portions of the Florida Parishes …

Dekay's Brownsnake

Storeria dekayi

Non-venomous

The most frequently observed snake in suburban and urban portions of Louisiana …

Diamond-backed Watersnake

Nerodia rhombifer

Non-venomous

Found in and around freshwater lakes, ponds, marshes, swamps, and large streams and rivers, especially in the …

Eastern Hog-nosed Snake

Heterodon platirhinos

Non-venomous

Found throughout the state in non-wetland habitats but may be found along margins of wetlands …

Eastern Milksnake

Lampropeltis triangulum

Not stated

Eastern Pinesnake

Pituophis melanoleucus

Not stated

Eastern Ribbonsnake

Thamnophis saurita

Non-venomous

Found in the Florida Parishes from the upper Amite River area eastward …

Flat-headed Snake

Tantilla gracilis

Non-venomous

Found in upland pine-oak woodlands in central and northern Louisiana.

Glossy Swampsnake

Liodytes rigida

Non-venomous

Found throughout the state except for dry, upland portions away from water and salt marshes …

Graham's Crawfish Snake

Regina grahamii

Non-venomous

Found in and around marshes, swamps, and bayous in low, open areas of the state in the Mississippi - …

Louisiana Pinesnake

Pituophis ruthveni

Non-venomous

Only occurs in eastern Texas and Louisiana west of the Mississippi River …

Mississippi Green Watersnake

Nerodia cyclopion

Non-venomous

Found in the southern part of the state and the Red, Ouachita, and Mississippi River valleys …

North American Racer

Coluber constrictor

Non-venomous

Found statewide in almost every nonaquatic habitat …

Northern Mole Kingsnake

Lampropeltis rhombomaculata

Non-venomous

Found in pinelands of the eastern Florida Parishes in open or semi-open habitats such as cropland …

Pine Woods Littersnake

Rhadinaea flavilata

Non-venomous

Ranges along the Atlantic and Gulf coast from North Carolina to Louisiana …

Plain-bellied Watersnake

Nerodia erythrogaster

Non-venomous

Found in most habitats throughout the state except salt marshes …

Prairie Kingsnake

Lampropeltis calligaster

Non-venomous

Found in northern, central, and southwestern Louisiana in upland longleaf pine woods and pine flatwoods, and …

Rainbow Snake

Farancia erytrogramma

Non-venomous

Found in the Florida Parishes as far west as the Comite River …

Red cornsnake

Pantherophis guttatus

Non-venomous

Found in the Florida Parishes …

Red-bellied Mudsnake

Farancia abacura

Non-venomous

Found in low, swampy regions throughout the state …

Red-bellied Snake

Storeria occipitomaculata

Non-venomous

Found in hardwood or mixed pine-hardwood forests of Louisiana …

Reticulated Python

Malayopython reticulatus

Not stated

Ring-necked Snake

Diadophis punctatus

Non-venomous

Found in hardwood or mixed pine-hardwood forests of Louisiana …

Rough Earthsnake

Haldea striatula

Non-venomous

Found in well-drained wooded and forested areas throughout the state but absent from coastal marshes and the …

Rough Greensnake

Opheodrys aestivus

Non-venomous

Found throughout the state adjacent to marshes or at the edge of forests.

Saltmarsh Snake

Nerodia clarkii

Non-venomous

Occur along the coast in open brackish and salt marshes, including the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain.

Scarlet Kingsnake

Lampropeltis elapsoides

Non-venomous

Found in the Florida Parishes above the Mississippi River floodplain …

Scarlet Snake

Cemophora coccinea

Non-venomous

Found in pine or mixed woods or relatively open pine-hardwood forests

Smooth Earthsnake

Virginia valeriae

Non-venomous

Found in wooded or forested areas, especially where there are pines, in the Florida Parishes and upland areas …

No confirmed photo of Southeastern Crowned Snake

Southeastern Crowned Snake

Tantilla coronata

Non-venomous

Found in dry pine-oak forest and flatwoods in well-drained areas of the Florida Parishes.

No confirmed photo of Southern Watersnake

Southern Watersnake

Nerodia fasciata

Non-venomous

Found in and around most freshwater and some brackish waterbodies within Louisiana. Especially favor swamps.

Speckled Kingsnake

Lampropeltis holbrooki

Non-venomous

Common in woodlands and semi-open habitats, including marshes and vacant lots, throughout Louisiana west of …

Western Milksnake

Lampropeltis gentilis

Non-venomous

Occur in bottomland hardwood and mixed pine-hardwood forests …

Western Ratsnake

Pantherophis obsoletus

Non-venomous

Found throughout Louisiana eastward to the Mississippi River floodplain but sparingly into the edge of the …

Western Ribbonsnake

Thamnophis proximus

Non-venomous

Active during the day and found in grassland and woodland habitats, often in the vicinity of water sources …

Western Wormsnake

Carphophis vermis

Non-venomous

Found in wooded bluff lands between Mer Rouge and Wisner (Macon Ridge), now almost completely deforested …

A picture cannot confirm what an animal is or that it is safe. Never handle a wild animal. Sources: Snake Species Field Guide: Coachwhip Snake (Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries); Snake Species Field Guide: Common Gartersnake (Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries); Snake Species Field Guide: Common Watersnake (Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries); Snake Species Field Guide: Common Wormsnake (Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries); Snake Species Field Guide: Dekay's Brownsnake (Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries); Snake Species Field Guide: Diamond-backed Watersnake (Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries); and others listed on the web page. stateswildlife.com/louisiana/snakes/