Snakes in Kansas
Kansas has 44 snake species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 14,740 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the ring-necked snake, the northern water snake and the eastern racer. Six of them are venomous.
Rattlesnakes in Kansas
Rattlesnakes: three species are listed for Kansas, with 1,014 records (7% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the western massasauga (490), ahead of the prairie rattlesnake (347).
Observation records of the western massasauga in Kansas run mostly May through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Barton County, Ellsworth County and Barber County. Observation records of the prairie rattlesnake in Kansas run mostly April through October, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Ellis County, Logan County and Trego County. Most licensed records of the timber rattlesnake in Kansas come from Douglas County, Marshall County and Franklin County.
Copperheads and cottonmouths in Kansas
Copperheads and cottonmouths: three species are listed for Kansas, with 630 records (4% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the eastern copperhead (615), ahead of the northern cottonmouth (8).
Observation records of the eastern copperhead in Kansas run mostly April through September, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Douglas County, Marshall County and Linn County.
Water snakes and swamp snakes in Kansas
Water snakes and swamp snakes: four species are listed for Kansas, with 1,867 records (13% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the northern water snake (1,214), ahead of the plain-bellied watersnake (304).
Observation records of the northern water snake in Kansas run mostly April through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Chase County, Douglas County and Jefferson County. Observation records of the plain-bellied watersnake in Kansas run mostly April through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Allen County, Miami County and Cherokee County. Observation records of the diamondback water snake in Kansas run mostly April through July, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Barton County, Douglas County and Woodson County.
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes in Kansas
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes: four species are listed for Kansas, with 1,534 records (10% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the common garter snake (651), ahead of the plains garter snake (562).
Observation records of the common garter snake in Kansas run mostly March through October, peaking in April; most licensed records come from Douglas County, Johnson County and Leavenworth County. Observation records of the plains garter snake in Kansas run mostly May through November, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Barton County, Ellis County and Douglas County. Most licensed records of the western ribbon snake in Kansas come from Cherokee County, Edwards County and Meade County.
Rat snakes and corn snakes in Kansas
Rat snakes and corn snakes: three species are listed for Kansas, with 799 records (5% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the western rat snake (443), ahead of the Great Plains rat snake (238).
Observation records of the western rat snake in Kansas run mostly April through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Douglas County, Marshall County and Cherokee County. Observation records of the Great Plains rat snake in Kansas run mostly April through September, peaking in April; most licensed records come from Russell County, Ellis County and Riley County. Most licensed records of the corn snake in Kansas come from Chase County, Riley County and Jewell County.
Kingsnakes and milksnakes in Kansas
Kingsnakes and milksnakes: four species are listed for Kansas, with 956 records (6% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the prairie kingsnake (262), ahead of the speckled kingsnake (254).
Most licensed records of the prairie kingsnake in Kansas come from Douglas County, Meade County and Barber County. Observation records of the speckled kingsnake in Kansas run mostly April through September, peaking in April; most licensed records come from Douglas County, Ellis County and Barton County. Most licensed records of the eastern milksnake in Kansas come from Douglas County, Johnson County and Riley County.
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes in Kansas
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes: two species are listed for Kansas, with 1,131 records (8% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the eastern racer (883), ahead of the coachwhip (248).
Observation records of the eastern racer in Kansas run mostly April through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Ellis County, Douglas County and Cowley County. Most licensed records of the coachwhip in Kansas come from Ellis County, Morton County and Meade County.
Gopher snakes, bullsnakes and pine snakes in Kansas
One species of this group is listed for Kansas: the gopher snake, with 632 records (4% of the state's snake records).
Observation records of the gopher snake in Kansas run mostly May through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Ellis County, Trego County and Morton County.
Hognose snakes in Kansas
Hognose snakes are a small part of the snake record here: two species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the plains hog-nosed snake (197), ahead of the eastern hog-nosed snake (130).
Most licensed records of the plains hog-nosed snake in Kansas come from Ellis County, Meade County and Trego County. Most licensed records of the eastern hog-nosed snake in Kansas come from Meade County, Barber County and Ellis County.
Green snakes in Kansas
One species of this group is listed for Kansas: the rough greensnake, with 102 records (0.7% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the rough greensnake in Kansas come from Cherokee County, Anderson County and Labette County.
Small woodland and burrowing snakes in Kansas
Small woodland and burrowing snakes dominate the snake record of Kansas: 17 species and 39% of all records. The most recorded is the ring-necked snake (2,711), ahead of the flathead snake (809).
Plus five: Smooth earth snake, Chihuahuan night snake, Red-bellied snake, New Mexico threadsnake, Great Plains ground snake.
Observation records of the ring-necked snake in Kansas run mostly April through October, peaking in April; most licensed records come from Cowley County, Riley County and Johnson County. Most licensed records of the flathead snake in Kansas come from Cowley County, Cherokee County and Chase County. Most licensed records of the lined snake in Kansas come from Cowley County, Russell County and Jewell County.
Where in Kansas are snakes recorded most?
Cowley County leads with 1,536 records (10%), followed by Douglas County and Chase County; the top five counties hold 32% of the total. 105 of Kansas's 105 counties have at least one licensed snake record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cowley County | 1,536 | 10.4% |
| 2 | Douglas County | 1,215 | 8.2% |
| 3 | Chase County | 731 | 5.0% |
| 4 | Ellis County | 657 | 4.5% |
| 5 | Russell County | 516 | 3.5% |
| 6 | Cherokee County | 439 | 3.0% |
| 7 | Riley County | 420 | 2.8% |
| 8 | Barber County | 331 | 2.2% |
| 9 | Johnson County | 330 | 2.2% |
| 10 | Meade County | 311 | 2.1% |
| 11 | Marshall County | 306 | 2.1% |
| 12 | Bourbon County | 305 | 2.1% |
When do snakes come out in Kansas?
Observation records of snakes in Kansas run mostly April through October, peaking in May with 25% of them. December through February together hold under 2% of the records, so snakes in Kansas are rarely recorded in winter. The sharpest rise comes from March to April.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | 0% | 2% | 19% | 25% | 12% | 10% | 7% | 13% | 9% | 2% | 0% |
Snakes: Kansas compared with its neighbors
Kansas ranks 7th of 50 states by the number of snake species listed, level with Alabama and Georgia; Texas leads with 86 species.
Of the four states bordering Kansas, Oklahoma lists more snake species (Kansas: 44 species; Oklahoma 50, Missouri 36, Nebraska 31, Colorado 26).
What snakes are in Kansas? All 44 species
Ranked by licensed records in Kansas. Species with a profile page are linked.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | Colubridae | 2,711 | 18.4% |
| 2 | Northern water snake Nerodia sipedon | Colubridae | 1,214 | 8.2% |
| 3 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | Colubridae | 883 | 6.0% |
| 4 | Flathead snake Tantilla gracilis | Colubridae | 809 | 5.5% |
| 5 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | Colubridae | 651 | 4.4% |
| 6 | Gopher snake Pituophis catenifer | Colubridae | 632 | 4.3% |
| 7 | Eastern copperhead venomous Agkistrodon contortrix | Viperidae | 615 | 4.2% |
| 8 | Plains garter snake Thamnophis radix | Colubridae | 562 | 3.8% |
| 9 | Western massasauga venomous Sistrurus tergeminus | Viperidae | 490 | 3.3% |
| 10 | Lined snake Tropidoclonion lineatum | Colubridae | 480 | 3.3% |
| 11 | Western rat snake Pantherophis obsoletus | Colubridae | 443 | 3.0% |
| 12 | Prairie rattlesnake venomous Crotalus viridis | Viperidae | 347 | 2.4% |
| 13 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | Colubridae | 327 | 2.2% |
| 14 | Plain-bellied watersnake Nerodia erythrogaster | Colubridae | 304 | 2.1% |
| 15 | Western ribbon snake Thamnophis proximus | Colubridae | 302 | 2.0% |
| 16 | Western ground snake Sonora semiannulata | Colubridae | 266 | 1.8% |
| 17 | Prairie kingsnake Lampropeltis calligaster | Colubridae | 262 | 1.8% |
| 18 | Western worm snake Carphophis vermis | Colubridae | 260 | 1.8% |
| 19 | Eastern wormsnake Carphophis amoenus | Colubridae | 258 | 1.8% |
| 20 | Speckled kingsnake Lampropeltis holbrooki | Colubridae | 254 | 1.7% |
| 21 | Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum | Colubridae | 248 | 1.7% |
| 22 | Eastern milksnake Lampropeltis triangulum | Colubridae | 245 | 1.7% |
| 23 | Great Plains rat snake Pantherophis emoryi | Colubridae | 238 | 1.6% |
| 24 | Plains hog-nosed snake Heterodon nasicus | Colubridae | 197 | 1.3% |
| 25 | Central plains milksnake Lampropeltis gentilis | Colubridae | 195 | 1.3% |
| 26 | Diamondback water snake Nerodia rhombifer | Colubridae | 188 | 1.3% |
| 27 | Timber rattlesnake venomous Crotalus horridus | Viperidae | 177 | 1.2% |
| 28 | Plains black-headed snake Tantilla nigriceps | Colubridae | 166 | 1.1% |
| 29 | Graham's crayfish snake Regina grahamii | Colubridae | 161 | 1.1% |
| 30 | Eastern hog-nosed snake Heterodon platirhinos | Colubridae | 130 | 0.9% |
| 31 | Corn snake Pantherophis guttatus | Colubridae | 118 | 0.8% |
| 32 | Glossy snake Arizona elegans | Colubridae | 116 | 0.8% |
| 33 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | Colubridae | 102 | 0.7% |
| 34 | Long-nosed snake Rhinocheilus lecontei | Colubridae | 67 | 0.5% |
| 35 | Rough earthsnake Haldea striatula | Colubridae | 50 | 0.3% |
| 36 | Texas blind snake Rena dulcis | Leptotyphlopidae | 44 | 0.3% |
| 37 | Smooth earth snake Virginia valeriae | Colubridae | 42 | 0.3% |
| 38 | Chihuahuan night snake Hypsiglena jani | Colubridae | 27 | 0.2% |
| 39 | Red-bellied snake Storeria occipitomaculata | Colubridae | 27 | 0.2% |
| 40 | New Mexico threadsnake Rena dissecta | Leptotyphlopidae | 24 | 0.2% |
| 41 | Checkered garter snake Thamnophis marcianus | Colubridae | 19 | 0.1% |
| 42 | Great Plains ground snake Sonora episcopa | Colubridae | 14 | 0.1% |
| 43 | Northern cottonmouth venomous Agkistrodon piscivorus | Viperidae | 8 | 0.1% |
| 44 | Broad-banded copperhead venomous Agkistrodon laticinctus | Viperidae | 7 | 0.0% |
Also recorded in Kansas, fewer than 10 times
Beyond the main list, three snake species are known from Kansas by only 3 to 9 records each. Some are genuine rarities at the edge of their range; others may be strays, released pets or old misidentifications, so treat them as unconfirmed.
Related pages
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.