Snakes in North Dakota
North Dakota has 8 snake species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 216 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the plains garter snake, the gopher snake and the prairie rattlesnake. One of them is venomous.
Rattlesnakes in North Dakota
One species of this group is listed for North Dakota: the prairie rattlesnake, with 20 records (9% of the state's snake records).
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes in North Dakota
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes dominate the snake record of North Dakota: two species and 51% of all records. The most recorded is the plains garter snake (104), ahead of the common garter snake (6).
Most licensed records of the plains garter snake in North Dakota come from Sheridan County, Ward County and McKenzie County.
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes in North Dakota
One species of this group is listed for North Dakota: the eastern racer, with 18 records (8% of the state's snake records).
Gopher snakes, bullsnakes and pine snakes in North Dakota
One species of this group is listed for North Dakota: the gopher snake, with 30 records (14% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the gopher snake in North Dakota come from Billings County, McKenzie County and Morton County.
Hognose snakes in North Dakota
One species of this group is listed for North Dakota: the plains hog-nosed snake, with 17 records (8% of the state's snake records).
Green snakes in North Dakota
One species of this group is listed for North Dakota: the smooth green snake, with 12 records (6% of the state's snake records).
Small woodland and burrowing snakes in North Dakota
One species of this group is listed for North Dakota: the red-bellied snake, with 6 records (3% of the state's snake records).
Where in North Dakota are snakes recorded most?
Billings County leads with 44 records (20%), followed by McKenzie County and Sheridan County; the top five counties hold 50% of the total. 35 of North Dakota's 53 counties have at least one licensed snake record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Billings County | 44 | 20.4% |
| 2 | McKenzie County | 28 | 13.0% |
| 3 | Sheridan County | 13 | 6.0% |
| 4 | Ward County | 13 | 6.0% |
| 5 | McHenry County | 9 | 4.2% |
| 6 | Morton County | 9 | 4.2% |
| 7 | Benson County | 8 | 3.7% |
| 8 | Bowman County | 8 | 3.7% |
| 9 | Williams County | 7 | 3.2% |
| 10 | Bottineau County | 7 | 3.2% |
| 11 | Pembina County | 6 | 2.8% |
| 12 | Richland County | 6 | 2.8% |
When do snakes come out in North Dakota?
Observation records of snakes in North Dakota run mostly May through September, peaking in June with 27% of them. December through February together hold under 2% of the records, so snakes in North Dakota are rarely recorded in winter. The sharpest rise comes from April to May.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | 0% | 0% | 5% | 18% | 27% | 18% | 18% | 8% | 3% | 2% | 0% |
Snakes: North Dakota compared with its neighbors
North Dakota ranks 48th of 50 states by the number of snake species listed; Texas leads with 86 species.
Every state bordering North Dakota lists more snake species (North Dakota: 8 species; South Dakota 16, Minnesota 15, Montana 9).
What snakes are in North Dakota? All 8 species
Ranked by licensed records in North Dakota. Species with a profile page are linked.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plains garter snake Thamnophis radix | Colubridae | 104 | 48.1% |
| 2 | Gopher snake Pituophis catenifer | Colubridae | 30 | 13.9% |
| 3 | Prairie rattlesnake venomous Crotalus viridis | Viperidae | 20 | 9.3% |
| 4 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | Colubridae | 18 | 8.3% |
| 5 | Plains hog-nosed snake Heterodon nasicus | Colubridae | 17 | 7.9% |
| 6 | Smooth green snake Opheodrys vernalis | Colubridae | 12 | 5.6% |
| 7 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | Colubridae | 6 | 2.8% |
| 8 | Red-bellied snake Storeria occipitomaculata | Colubridae | 6 | 2.8% |
Related pages
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.