North Dakota Game and Fish Department: North Dakota has about 28 species of amphibians and reptiles.
This page lists 10 snakes: 8 from North Dakota Game and Fish Department's Reptiles and Amphibians of North Dakota, with the North Dakota Herp Atlas species pages and 2 named in other official sources.
1 is venomous by official accounts: Prairie Rattlesnake.
Usually about 3 to 4 feet; Montana gives 15 to 60 inches and NPS says up to 5 feet. Arizona gives a maximum of 28 to 64 inches (excluding rattle) depending on subspecies; in Colorado it is rarely over 39 inches.
How to recognize it
Rattle (or a button in newborns) at the tail tip
Head much broader than the neck, many small scales on top of the head, heat-sensing pit between eye and nostril
Vertical (cat-like) pupils
Where in North Dakota
They are primarily found in southwestern North Dakota, but have been observed in counties bordering the Missouri River on the east. North Dakota Game and Fish Department
What the sources say
Venom: “These are North Dakota’s only venomous snakes.” (North Dakota Game and Fish Department)
Habitat: Rattlesnakes are found in grasslands and sagebrush areas, as wells as high rocky ledges of buttes. (North Dakota Game and Fish Department)
They are found statewide, inhabiting the edges of woodlands, meadows, wetlands and areas around housing developments. North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Conservation
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Information Need (SGIN)
Photo: National Park Service from USA · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Usually 3 to 6 feet; Arizona's longest snake, up to 92 inches (AZGFD); Missouri record 105 inches
How to recognize it
No rattle: tail tapers to a point
Round pupils; keeled back scales (separates it from the similar glossy snake)
Head somewhat triangular, more so when agitated (so head shape alone is not a safe test)
Where in North Dakota
These snakes can be found in grasslands, meadows, river bluffs and woodland areas in southwestern North Dakota, including counties bordering the Missouri River on the … North Dakota Game and Fish Department
These snakes are found statewide, inhabiting grasslands around marshes, pond edges, coulee bottoms and prairie potholes. North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Conservation
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Information Need (SGIN)
These snakes are found statewide except in the northeast and prefer sandy, graveled areas that occur in grassland, prairie and mixed forest habitats. North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Conservation
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)
Photo: Everglades NPS from Homestead, Florida, United States · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
They may be found in moist grasslands, marshes and open woodlands across the state, except for far eastern North Dakota. North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Conservation
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)
Photo: Yellowstone National Park · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
The bullsnake has no rattle, an oval or rounded head and large round pupils; the prairie rattlesnake has a triangular head, slit pupils and a rattle. Bullsnakes are often mistaken for rattlesnakes: when threatened they may coil, flatten the head, hiss and vibrate the tail in dry leaves to sound like a rattle, so do not judge by behavior or by head shape alone.
The Montana Field Guide names the western hog-nosed snake as a lookalike and says that in Montana no other snake has rattles: a hognose has no rattle.
Photos show typical adults; individuals vary. Never get close to compare.
When snakes are active in North Dakota
Records of snakes in North Dakota peak in May to July. They show when people record snakes, not how many there are (about month bars).
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
63 records of snakes in North Dakota by month (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records).
Prairie rattlesnakes hunt by day in early spring and late fall, shelter from summer heat and ambush prey in the evening; they hibernate together in winter. North Dakota Game and Fish Department
North Dakota Game and Fish Department: 701-328-6300 (general), Report All Poachers 701-328-9921, online observation and ANS report forms (gf.nd.gov/ans/report). Report any amphibian or reptile not in the NDGF guide (including released pets or bullfrogs) to NDGF. Unusual ticks: submit a picture to ND HHS via its tickborne page. North Dakota Game and Fish Department
Are there copperheads or water moccasins in North Dakota?
Not on the official list. Neither appears in the NDGF guide to all amphibians and reptiles known in the state, and NDGF says the prairie rattlesnake is the only venomous snake. North Dakota Game and Fish Department
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