Snakes in Alabama
Alabama has 44 snake species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 5,745 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the northern water snake, the eastern wormsnake and the southern watersnake. Six of them are venomous.
Rattlesnakes in Alabama
Rattlesnakes: three species are listed for Alabama, with 327 records (6% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the timber rattlesnake (245), ahead of the pygmy rattlesnake (52).
Observation records of the timber rattlesnake in Alabama run mostly April through October, peaking in August; most licensed records come from Lee County, Macon County and Bullock County. Most licensed records of the pygmy rattlesnake in Alabama come from Baldwin County, Covington County and Chilton County. Most licensed records of the eastern diamondback rattlesnake in Alabama come from Covington County, Houston County and Escambia County.
Copperheads and cottonmouths in Alabama
Copperheads and cottonmouths: two species are listed for Alabama, with 391 records (7% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the northern cottonmouth (201), ahead of the eastern copperhead (190).
Observation records of the northern cottonmouth in Alabama run mostly March through October, peaking in April; most licensed records come from Baldwin County, Lee County and Mobile County. Observation records of the eastern copperhead in Alabama run mostly April through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Lee County, Jefferson County and Chambers County.
Coral snakes in Alabama
One species of this group is listed for Alabama: the eastern coral snake, with 21 records (0.4% of the state's snake records).
Water snakes and swamp snakes in Alabama
Water snakes and swamp snakes dominate the snake record of Alabama: eleven species and 34% of all records. The most recorded is the northern water snake (916), ahead of the southern watersnake (252).
Observation records of the northern water snake in Alabama run mostly April through November, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Geneva County, Henry County and Lee County. Most licensed records of the southern watersnake in Alabama come from Baldwin County, Geneva County and Mobile County. Most licensed records of the plain-bellied watersnake in Alabama come from Barbour County, Lee County and Macon County.
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes in Alabama
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes: two species are listed for Alabama, with 235 records (4% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the common garter snake (143), ahead of the eastern ribbonsnake (92).
Observation records of the common garter snake in Alabama run mostly March through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Lee County, Madison County and Mobile County. Most licensed records of the eastern ribbonsnake in Alabama come from Baldwin County, Lee County and Mobile County.
Rat snakes and corn snakes in Alabama
Rat snakes and corn snakes: three species are listed for Alabama, with 423 records (7% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the gray rat snake (169), ahead of the eastern rat snake (144).
Most licensed records of the gray rat snake in Alabama come from Lee County, Macon County and Covington County. Observation records of the eastern rat snake in Alabama run mostly March through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Madison County, Blount County and DeKalb County. Most licensed records of the corn snake in Alabama come from Lee County, Baldwin County and Mobile County.
Kingsnakes and milksnakes in Alabama
Kingsnakes and milksnakes: six species are listed for Alabama, with 287 records (5% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the eastern kingsnake (121), ahead of the eastern black kingsnake (81).
Most licensed records of the eastern kingsnake in Alabama come from Lee County, Macon County and Barbour County. Observation records of the eastern black kingsnake in Alabama run mostly March through August, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Blount County, Jefferson County and Bibb County. Most licensed records of the mole kingsnake in Alabama come from Madison County, Russell County and Lee County.
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes in Alabama
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes: two species are listed for Alabama, with 327 records (6% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the eastern racer (250), ahead of the coachwhip (77).
Observation records of the eastern racer in Alabama run mostly February through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Lee County, Baldwin County and Tuscaloosa County. Most licensed records of the coachwhip in Alabama come from Lee County, Macon County and Baldwin County.
Gopher snakes, bullsnakes and pine snakes in Alabama
One species of this group is listed for Alabama: the pine snake, with 61 records (1% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the pine snake in Alabama come from Covington County, Escambia County and Autauga County.
Hognose snakes in Alabama
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 (84), ahead of the southern hognose snake (16).
Most licensed records of the eastern hog-nosed snake in Alabama come from Lee County, Covington County and Mobile County.
Green snakes in Alabama
One species of this group is listed for Alabama: the rough greensnake, with 126 records (2% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the rough greensnake in Alabama come from Lee County, Baldwin County and Covington County.
Small woodland and burrowing snakes in Alabama
Small woodland and burrowing snakes: ten species are listed for Alabama, with 1,262 records (22% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the eastern wormsnake (262), ahead of the ring-necked snake (247).
Most licensed records of the eastern wormsnake in Alabama come from Jefferson County, Winston County and Colbert County. Observation records of the ring-necked snake in Alabama run mostly February through September, peaking in March; most licensed records come from Lee County, Jefferson County and Macon County. Observation records of the DeKay's brown snake in Alabama run through most of the year, peaking in March; most licensed records come from Lee County, Coosa County and Calhoun County.
Where in Alabama are snakes recorded most?
Lee County leads with 726 records (13%), followed by Baldwin County and Macon County; the top five counties hold 33% of the total. 67 of Alabama's 67 counties have at least one licensed snake record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee County | 726 | 12.6% |
| 2 | Baldwin County | 351 | 6.1% |
| 3 | Macon County | 337 | 5.9% |
| 4 | Covington County | 269 | 4.7% |
| 5 | Mobile County | 230 | 4.0% |
| 6 | Geneva County | 206 | 3.6% |
| 7 | Escambia County | 177 | 3.1% |
| 8 | Jefferson County | 157 | 2.7% |
| 9 | Barbour County | 154 | 2.7% |
| 10 | Madison County | 152 | 2.6% |
| 11 | DeKalb County | 143 | 2.5% |
| 12 | Shelby County | 140 | 2.4% |
When do snakes come out in Alabama?
Observation records of snakes in Alabama run mostly March through October, peaking in May with 21% of them. Winter (December to February) holds 5% of the records. The sharpest rise comes from March to April.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1% | 3% | 8% | 15% | 21% | 12% | 8% | 10% | 11% | 5% | 4% | 1% |
Snakes: Alabama compared with its neighbors
Alabama ranks 7th of 50 states by the number of snake species listed, level with Georgia and Kansas; Texas leads with 86 species.
Of the four states bordering Alabama, Florida lists more snake species; Georgia lists as many (Alabama: 44 species; Florida 49, Georgia 44, Mississippi 38, Tennessee 32).
What snakes are in Alabama? All 44 species
Ranked by licensed records in Alabama. Species with a profile page are linked.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern water snake Nerodia sipedon | Colubridae | 916 | 15.9% |
| 2 | Eastern wormsnake Carphophis amoenus | Colubridae | 262 | 4.6% |
| 3 | Southern watersnake Nerodia fasciata | Colubridae | 252 | 4.4% |
| 4 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | Colubridae | 250 | 4.4% |
| 5 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | Colubridae | 247 | 4.3% |
| 6 | Timber rattlesnake venomous Crotalus horridus | Viperidae | 245 | 4.3% |
| 7 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | Colubridae | 223 | 3.9% |
| 8 | Plain-bellied watersnake Nerodia erythrogaster | Colubridae | 205 | 3.6% |
| 9 | Northern cottonmouth venomous Agkistrodon piscivorus | Viperidae | 201 | 3.5% |
| 10 | Eastern copperhead venomous Agkistrodon contortrix | Viperidae | 190 | 3.3% |
| 11 | Queen snake Regina septemvittata | Colubridae | 188 | 3.3% |
| 12 | Gray rat snake Pantherophis spiloides | Colubridae | 169 | 2.9% |
| 13 | Diamondback water snake Nerodia rhombifer | Colubridae | 156 | 2.7% |
| 14 | Eastern rat snake Pantherophis alleghaniensis | Colubridae | 144 | 2.5% |
| 15 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | Colubridae | 143 | 2.5% |
| 16 | Smooth earth snake Virginia valeriae | Colubridae | 131 | 2.3% |
| 17 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | Colubridae | 126 | 2.2% |
| 18 | Eastern kingsnake Lampropeltis getula | Colubridae | 121 | 2.1% |
| 19 | Corn snake Pantherophis guttatus | Colubridae | 110 | 1.9% |
| 20 | Southeastern crown snake Tantilla coronata | Colubridae | 110 | 1.9% |
| 21 | Scarlet snake Cemophora coccinea | Colubridae | 102 | 1.8% |
| 22 | Red-bellied snake Storeria occipitomaculata | Colubridae | 101 | 1.8% |
| 23 | Eastern ribbonsnake Thamnophis saurita | Colubridae | 92 | 1.6% |
| 24 | Eastern hog-nosed snake Heterodon platirhinos | Colubridae | 84 | 1.5% |
| 25 | Eastern black kingsnake Lampropeltis nigra | Colubridae | 81 | 1.4% |
| 26 | Rough earthsnake Haldea striatula | Colubridae | 80 | 1.4% |
| 27 | Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum | Colubridae | 77 | 1.3% |
| 28 | Mud snake Farancia abacura | Colubridae | 73 | 1.3% |
| 29 | Brown water snake Nerodia taxispilota | Colubridae | 68 | 1.2% |
| 30 | Pine snake Pituophis melanoleucus | Colubridae | 61 | 1.1% |
| 31 | Pygmy rattlesnake venomous Sistrurus miliarius | Viperidae | 52 | 0.9% |
| 32 | Mole kingsnake Lampropeltis rhombomaculata | Colubridae | 41 | 0.7% |
| 33 | Salt marsh snake Nerodia clarkii | Colubridae | 34 | 0.6% |
| 34 | Crayfish snake Liodytes rigida | Colubridae | 30 | 0.5% |
| 35 | Eastern diamondback rattlesnake venomous Crotalus adamanteus | Viperidae | 30 | 0.5% |
| 36 | Green water snake Nerodia cyclopion | Colubridae | 30 | 0.5% |
| 37 | Rainbow snake Farancia erytrogramma | Colubridae | 29 | 0.5% |
| 38 | Scarlet kingsnake Lampropeltis elapsoides | Colubridae | 25 | 0.4% |
| 39 | Eastern coral snake venomous Micrurus fulvius | Elapidae | 21 | 0.4% |
| 40 | Eastern milksnake Lampropeltis triangulum | Colubridae | 18 | 0.3% |
| 41 | Southern hognose snake Heterodon simus | Colubridae | 16 | 0.3% |
| 42 | Pine woods snake Rhadinaea flavilata | Colubridae | 6 | 0.1% |
| 43 | Speckled kingsnake Lampropeltis holbrooki | Colubridae | 1 | 0.0% |
| 44 | Brahminy blindsnake introduced Indotyphlops braminus | Typhlopidae | 0 | 0.0% |
Also recorded in Alabama, fewer than 10 times
Beyond the main list, four snake species are known from Alabama 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.