Snakes in Oklahoma
Oklahoma has 50 snake species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 13,274 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the western ground snake, the flathead snake and the ring-necked snake. Eight of them are venomous.
Rattlesnakes in Oklahoma
Rattlesnakes: five species are listed for Oklahoma, with 824 records (6% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the western diamondback rattlesnake (417), ahead of the timber rattlesnake (116).
Most licensed records of the western diamondback rattlesnake in Oklahoma come from Comanche County, Blaine County and Atoka County. Most licensed records of the timber rattlesnake in Oklahoma come from Marshall County, Garvin County and LeFlore County. Most licensed records of the pygmy rattlesnake in Oklahoma come from Johnston County, Cleveland County and LeFlore County.
Copperheads and cottonmouths in Oklahoma
Copperheads and cottonmouths: three species are listed for Oklahoma, with 925 records (7% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the northern cottonmouth (429), ahead of the eastern copperhead (315).
Most licensed records of the northern cottonmouth in Oklahoma come from McCurtain County, Rogers County and LeFlore County. Most licensed records of the eastern copperhead in Oklahoma come from Atoka County, McCurtain County and LeFlore County. Most licensed records of the broad-banded copperhead in Oklahoma come from Marshall County, Carter County and Comanche County.
Water snakes and swamp snakes in Oklahoma
Water snakes and swamp snakes: seven species are listed for Oklahoma, with 1,646 records (12% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the plain-bellied watersnake (731), ahead of the diamondback water snake (506).
Observation records of the plain-bellied watersnake in Oklahoma run mostly April through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Comanche County, Cleveland County and LeFlore County. Observation records of the diamondback water snake in Oklahoma run mostly April through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Cleveland County, Marshall County and McCurtain County. Most licensed records of the northern water snake in Oklahoma come from LeFlore County, Delaware County and Cherokee County.
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes in Oklahoma
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes: four species are listed for Oklahoma, with 1,001 records (8% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the western ribbon snake (589), ahead of the common garter snake (269).
Observation records of the western ribbon snake in Oklahoma run mostly April through October, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Comanche County, Cleveland County and Woodward County. Most licensed records of the common garter snake in Oklahoma come from Cleveland County, Johnston County and Payne County. Most licensed records of the plains garter snake in Oklahoma come from Cimarron County, Woodward County and Beaver County.
Rat snakes and corn snakes in Oklahoma
Rat snakes and corn snakes: three species are listed for Oklahoma, with 590 records (4% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the western rat snake (497), ahead of the Great Plains rat snake (83).
Observation records of the western rat snake in Oklahoma run mostly April through November, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Cleveland County, Oklahoma County and Pottawatomie County. Most licensed records of the Great Plains rat snake in Oklahoma come from Atoka County, Comanche County and Woodward County.
Kingsnakes and milksnakes in Oklahoma
Kingsnakes and milksnakes: four species are listed for Oklahoma, with 609 records (5% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the speckled kingsnake (263), ahead of the prairie kingsnake (238).
Most licensed records of the speckled kingsnake in Oklahoma come from LeFlore County, Cleveland County and Comanche County. Most licensed records of the prairie kingsnake in Oklahoma come from Cleveland County, Pottawatomie County and Tulsa County. Most licensed records of the central plains milksnake in Oklahoma come from LeFlore County, Atoka County and Pushmataha County.
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes in Oklahoma
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes: two species are listed for Oklahoma, with 1,037 records (8% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the coachwhip (542), ahead of the eastern racer (495).
Observation records of the coachwhip in Oklahoma run mostly March through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Comanche County, Cleveland County and LeFlore County. Most licensed records of the eastern racer in Oklahoma come from Cleveland County, LeFlore County and Okmulgee County.
Gopher snakes, bullsnakes and pine snakes in Oklahoma
One species of this group is listed for Oklahoma: the gopher snake, with 291 records (2% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the gopher snake in Oklahoma come from Cleveland County, Cimarron County and Comanche County.
Hognose snakes in Oklahoma
Hognose snakes are a small part of the snake record here: two species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the eastern hog-nosed snake (201), ahead of the plains hog-nosed snake (91).
Most licensed records of the eastern hog-nosed snake in Oklahoma come from Cleveland County, Pottawatomie County and Comanche County. Most licensed records of the plains hog-nosed snake in Oklahoma come from Cimarron County, Cleveland County and Alfalfa County.
Green snakes in Oklahoma
One species of this group is listed for Oklahoma: the rough greensnake, with 341 records (3% of the state's snake records).
Observation records of the rough greensnake in Oklahoma run mostly April through October, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Cleveland County, Okmulgee County and LeFlore County.
Small woodland and burrowing snakes in Oklahoma
Small woodland and burrowing snakes dominate the snake record of Oklahoma: 18 species and 43% of all records. The most recorded is the western ground snake (1,354), ahead of the flathead snake (1,297).
Plus six: Glossy snake, New Mexico threadsnake, Long-nosed snake, Scarlet snake, Red-bellied snake, Great Plains ground snake.
Most licensed records of the western ground snake in Oklahoma come from Tulsa County, Osage County and Beckham County. Most licensed records of the flathead snake in Oklahoma come from LeFlore County, Tulsa County and Seminole County. Observation records of the ring-necked snake in Oklahoma run mostly March through October, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Logan County, Rogers County and Tulsa County.
Where in Oklahoma are snakes recorded most?
Tulsa County leads with 1,260 records (9%), followed by Comanche County and LeFlore County; the top five counties hold 35% of the total. 77 of Oklahoma's 77 counties have at least one licensed snake record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tulsa County | 1,260 | 9.5% |
| 2 | Comanche County | 1,149 | 8.7% |
| 3 | LeFlore County | 815 | 6.1% |
| 4 | Cleveland County | 785 | 5.9% |
| 5 | McCurtain County | 608 | 4.6% |
| 6 | Okmulgee County | 544 | 4.1% |
| 7 | Marshall County | 522 | 3.9% |
| 8 | Rogers County | 381 | 2.9% |
| 9 | Atoka County | 375 | 2.8% |
| 10 | Cherokee County | 332 | 2.5% |
| 11 | Osage County | 323 | 2.4% |
| 12 | Payne County | 312 | 2.4% |
When do snakes come out in Oklahoma?
Observation records of snakes in Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma 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% | 1% | 4% | 13% | 25% | 16% | 11% | 7% | 11% | 9% | 4% | 1% |
Snakes: Oklahoma compared with its neighbors
Oklahoma ranks 4th of 50 states by the number of snake species listed; Texas leads with 86 species.
Of the six states bordering Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico list more snake species (Oklahoma: 50 species; Texas 86, New Mexico 56, Kansas 44, Arkansas 36, Missouri 36, Colorado 26).
What snakes are in Oklahoma? All 50 species
Ranked by licensed records in Oklahoma. Species with a profile page are linked.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western ground snake Sonora semiannulata | Colubridae | 1,354 | 10.2% |
| 2 | Flathead snake Tantilla gracilis | Colubridae | 1,297 | 9.8% |
| 3 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | Colubridae | 869 | 6.5% |
| 4 | Plain-bellied watersnake Nerodia erythrogaster | Colubridae | 731 | 5.5% |
| 5 | Western ribbon snake Thamnophis proximus | Colubridae | 589 | 4.4% |
| 6 | Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum | Colubridae | 542 | 4.1% |
| 7 | Diamondback water snake Nerodia rhombifer | Colubridae | 506 | 3.8% |
| 8 | Western rat snake Pantherophis obsoletus | Colubridae | 497 | 3.7% |
| 9 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | Colubridae | 495 | 3.7% |
| 10 | Lined snake Tropidoclonion lineatum | Colubridae | 480 | 3.6% |
| 11 | Northern cottonmouth venomous Agkistrodon piscivorus | Viperidae | 429 | 3.2% |
| 12 | Western diamondback rattlesnake venomous Crotalus atrox | Viperidae | 417 | 3.1% |
| 13 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | Colubridae | 359 | 2.7% |
| 14 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | Colubridae | 341 | 2.6% |
| 15 | Eastern copperhead venomous Agkistrodon contortrix | Viperidae | 315 | 2.4% |
| 16 | Gopher snake Pituophis catenifer | Colubridae | 291 | 2.2% |
| 17 | Rough earthsnake Haldea striatula | Colubridae | 279 | 2.1% |
| 18 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | Colubridae | 269 | 2.0% |
| 19 | Speckled kingsnake Lampropeltis holbrooki | Colubridae | 263 | 2.0% |
| 20 | Texas blind snake Rena dulcis | Leptotyphlopidae | 248 | 1.9% |
| 21 | Prairie kingsnake Lampropeltis calligaster | Colubridae | 238 | 1.8% |
| 22 | Western worm snake Carphophis vermis | Colubridae | 236 | 1.8% |
| 23 | Eastern hog-nosed snake Heterodon platirhinos | Colubridae | 201 | 1.5% |
| 24 | Northern water snake Nerodia sipedon | Colubridae | 184 | 1.4% |
| 25 | Broad-banded copperhead venomous Agkistrodon laticinctus | Viperidae | 181 | 1.4% |
| 26 | Graham's crayfish snake Regina grahamii | Colubridae | 123 | 0.9% |
| 27 | Timber rattlesnake venomous Crotalus horridus | Viperidae | 116 | 0.9% |
| 28 | Pygmy rattlesnake venomous Sistrurus miliarius | Viperidae | 108 | 0.8% |
| 29 | Western massasauga venomous Sistrurus tergeminus | Viperidae | 105 | 0.8% |
| 30 | Plains hog-nosed snake Heterodon nasicus | Colubridae | 91 | 0.7% |
| 31 | Chihuahuan night snake Hypsiglena jani | Colubridae | 83 | 0.6% |
| 32 | Great Plains rat snake Pantherophis emoryi | Colubridae | 83 | 0.6% |
| 33 | Smooth earth snake Virginia valeriae | Colubridae | 81 | 0.6% |
| 34 | Plains black-headed snake Tantilla nigriceps | Colubridae | 79 | 0.6% |
| 35 | Prairie rattlesnake venomous Crotalus viridis | Viperidae | 78 | 0.6% |
| 36 | Eastern wormsnake Carphophis amoenus | Colubridae | 76 | 0.6% |
| 37 | Plains garter snake Thamnophis radix | Colubridae | 75 | 0.6% |
| 38 | Checkered garter snake Thamnophis marcianus | Colubridae | 68 | 0.5% |
| 39 | Southern watersnake Nerodia fasciata | Colubridae | 68 | 0.5% |
| 40 | Glossy snake Arizona elegans | Colubridae | 66 | 0.5% |
| 41 | Central plains milksnake Lampropeltis gentilis | Colubridae | 64 | 0.5% |
| 42 | New Mexico threadsnake Rena dissecta | Leptotyphlopidae | 49 | 0.4% |
| 43 | Eastern milksnake Lampropeltis triangulum | Colubridae | 44 | 0.3% |
| 44 | Long-nosed snake Rhinocheilus lecontei | Colubridae | 30 | 0.2% |
| 45 | Mud snake Farancia abacura | Colubridae | 27 | 0.2% |
| 46 | Scarlet snake Cemophora coccinea | Colubridae | 26 | 0.2% |
| 47 | Red-bellied snake Storeria occipitomaculata | Colubridae | 24 | 0.2% |
| 48 | Corn snake Pantherophis guttatus | Colubridae | 10 | 0.1% |
| 49 | Great Plains ground snake Sonora episcopa | Colubridae | 10 | 0.1% |
| 50 | Crayfish snake Liodytes rigida | Colubridae | 7 | 0.1% |
Also recorded in Oklahoma, fewer than 10 times
Beyond the main list, five snake species are known from Oklahoma 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.