Ohio snakes: ID chart

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

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The 3 venomous snakes come first: Eastern Copperhead, Massasauga, 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 Ohio. The chart prints on letter or A4 paper; on screen, open any name on the Ohio snakes page for photos, range and sources.

Eastern Copperhead

Agkistrodon contortrix

Venomous

Copperheads are widely scattered throughout most of unglaciated Ohio …

Massasauga

Sistrurus catenatus

Venomous

Colonies still persist in bogs, swamps, and wet prairies within glaciated Ohio.

Timber Rattlesnake

Crotalus horridus

Venomous

Remnant colonies persist in widely scattered areas in southern unglaciated Ohio.

Butler's Gartersnake

Thamnophis butleri

Non-venomous

Common Wormsnake

Carphophis amoenus

Non-venomous

Copper-bellied Watersnake

Nerodia erythrogaster

Non-venomous

Williams County

Dekay's Brownsnake

Storeria dekayi

Non-venomous

Eastern Black Kingsnake

Lampropeltis nigra

Non-venomous

This snake is limited in Ohio to Adams, Scioto, Jackson, and Lawrence counties, and even in this area it is …

Eastern Foxsnake

Pantherophis vulpinus

Non-venomous

Eastern Gartersnake

Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis

Non-venomous

Eastern Hog-nosed Snake

Heterodon platirhinos

Non-venomous

Eastern Milksnake

Lampropeltis triangulum

Non-venomous

Eastern Ribbonsnake

Thamnophis saurita

Non-venomous

Eastern Smooth Earthsnake

Virginia valeriae valeriae

Non-venomous

Gray Ratsnake (formerly Black Ratsnake)

Pantherophis spiloides

Non-venomous

Kirtland's Snake

Clonophis kirtlandii

Non-venomous

Lake Erie Watersnake

Nerodia sipedon insularum

Non-venomous

Islands of Lake Erie

North American Racer

Coluber constrictor

Non-venomous

Northern Ring-necked Snake

Diadophis punctatus edwardsii

Non-venomous

Northern Rough Greensnake

Opheodrys aestivus aestivus

Non-venomous

Northern Watersnake

Nerodia sipedon sipedon

Non-venomous

Plains Gartersnake

Thamnophis radix

Non-venomous

Wyandot County

Queensnake

Regina septemvittata

Non-venomous

Red-bellied Snake

Storeria occipitomaculata

Non-venomous

Short-headed Gartersnake

Thamnophis brachystoma

Non-venomous

Smooth Greensnake

Opheodrys vernalis

Non-venomous

A picture cannot confirm what an animal is or that it is safe. Never handle a wild animal. Sources: Reptiles of Ohio Field Guide (Publication 5354) (Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife). stateswildlife.com/ohio/snakes/