Snakes and spiders in Cherokee County, Kansas
Cherokee County, home of Columbus, has 15 snake and 0 spider species on record, from 439 licensed snake and 7 spider records. Venomous species here: the eastern copperhead.
Are there venomous snakes or spiders in Cherokee County?
Yes. The eastern copperhead: 19 licensed records, 3% of all Kansas records of it.
What snakes are in Cherokee County?
In all, 15 snake species are on the Cherokee County list. The most recorded are the ring-necked snake (98), the flathead snake (52) and the western worm snake (37).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Kansas records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | 98 | 4% |
| 2 | Flathead snake Tantilla gracilis | 52 | 6% |
| 3 | Western worm snake Carphophis vermis | 37 | 14% |
| 4 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | 34 | 33% |
| 5 | Western ribbon snake Thamnophis proximus | 30 | 10% |
| 6 | Western rat snake Pantherophis obsoletus | 27 | 6% |
| 7 | Eastern copperhead venomous Agkistrodon contortrix | 19 | 3% |
| 8 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | 18 | 2% |
| 9 | Plain-bellied watersnake Nerodia erythrogaster | 18 | 6% |
| 10 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | 16 | 5% |
| 11 | Northern water snake Nerodia sipedon | 15 | 1% |
| 12 | Eastern wormsnake Carphophis amoenus | 14 | 5% |
| 13 | Red-bellied snake Storeria occipitomaculata | 11 | 41% |
| 14 | Rough earthsnake Haldea striatula | 11 | 22% |
| 15 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | 10 | 2% |
What stands out in Cherokee County
Species for which Cherokee County holds a large share of all Kansas records: the red-bellied snake, 41% (11 of 27); the rough greensnake, 33% (34 of 102); the rough earthsnake, 22% (11 of 50).
Common in Kansas, not on the Cherokee County list
Among the snakes most recorded across Kansas, these do not reach the county list: the gopher snake (632 statewide), the plains garter snake (562 statewide), the western massasauga (490 statewide), the lined snake (480 statewide) and the prairie rattlesnake (347 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Harmless lookalikes in Cherokee County
Copperheads are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the plain-bellied watersnake and the northern water snake. No cottonmouths reach the county list, but the northern cottonmouth is on the Kansas list: treat any snake like it as venomous until identified. Harmless species often taken for them here: the plain-bellied watersnake and the northern water snake.
Cherokee County among Kansas counties
By licensed snake records Cherokee County ranks 6th of 105 Kansas counties with any.
Other Kansas counties with their own page: Cowley County, Douglas County, Chase County, Ellis County, Russell County, Riley County, Barber County and Johnson County.
The whole state: venomous species in Kansas, all snakes, all spiders.
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.