Snakes in Indiana
Indiana has 27 snake species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 2,201 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the northern water snake, the common garter snake and the eastern racer. Three of them are venomous.
Rattlesnakes in Indiana
Rattlesnakes are a small part of the snake record here: two species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the eastern massasauga (39), ahead of the timber rattlesnake (14).
Most licensed records of the eastern massasauga in Indiana come from Starke County, Porter County and Kosciusko County.
Copperheads and cottonmouths in Indiana
One species of this group is listed for Indiana: the eastern copperhead, with 62 records (3% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the eastern copperhead in Indiana come from Morgan County, Monroe County and Harrison County.
Water snakes and swamp snakes in Indiana
Water snakes and swamp snakes dominate the snake record of Indiana: five species and 26% of all records. The most recorded is the northern water snake (394), ahead of the queen snake (95).
Observation records of the northern water snake in Indiana run mostly April through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Morgan County, Porter County and Marshall County. Most licensed records of the queen snake in Indiana come from Jasper County, Marion County and Wayne County. Most licensed records of the Kirtland's snake in Indiana come from Marion County, Floyd County and Grant County.
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes in Indiana
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes: four species are listed for Indiana, with 371 records (17% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the common garter snake (287), ahead of the eastern ribbonsnake (46).
Observation records of the common garter snake in Indiana run mostly March through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Monroe County, Morgan County and Porter County. Most licensed records of the eastern ribbonsnake in Indiana come from Dubois County, Knox County and Pulaski County. Most licensed records of the plains garter snake in Indiana come from Jasper County, Lake County and Benton County.
Rat snakes and corn snakes in Indiana
Rat snakes and corn snakes: two species are listed for Indiana, with 154 records (7% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the eastern rat snake (125), ahead of the eastern fox snake (29).
Observation records of the eastern rat snake in Indiana run mostly April through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Monroe County, Marion County and Morgan County.
Kingsnakes and milksnakes in Indiana
Kingsnakes and milksnakes: three species are listed for Indiana, with 171 records (8% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the eastern milksnake (116), ahead of the eastern black kingsnake (40).
Observation records of the eastern milksnake in Indiana run mostly May through August, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Brown County, Newton County and Monroe County. Most licensed records of the eastern black kingsnake in Indiana come from Knox County, Jackson County and Orange County.
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes in Indiana
One species of this group is listed for Indiana: the eastern racer, with 179 records (8% of the state's snake records).
Observation records of the eastern racer in Indiana run mostly April through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Monroe County, Morgan County and Clark County.
Gopher snakes, bullsnakes and pine snakes in Indiana
One species of this group is listed for Indiana: the gopher snake, with 19 records (0.9% of the state's snake records).
Hognose snakes in Indiana
One species of this group is listed for Indiana: the eastern hog-nosed snake, with 88 records (4% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the eastern hog-nosed snake in Indiana come from Brown County, Pulaski County and Porter County.
Green snakes in Indiana
Green snakes are a small part of the snake record here: two species with 3% of records between them. The most recorded is the rough greensnake (49), ahead of the smooth green snake (10).
Most licensed records of the rough greensnake in Indiana come from Brown County, Clark County and Orange County.
Small woodland and burrowing snakes in Indiana
Small woodland and burrowing snakes: five species are listed for Indiana, with 352 records (16% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the DeKay's brown snake (151), ahead of the ring-necked snake (94).
Observation records of the DeKay's brown snake in Indiana run mostly March through November, peaking in October; most licensed records come from Marion County, Tippecanoe County and Porter County. Observation records of the ring-necked snake in Indiana run mostly April through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Monroe County, Brown County and Morgan County. Most licensed records of the eastern wormsnake in Indiana come from Lawrence County, Brown County and Monroe County.
Where in Indiana are snakes recorded most?
Records are spread widely: even the top five counties, led by Morgan County, hold only 28% of them. 91 of Indiana's 92 counties have at least one licensed snake record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morgan County | 145 | 6.6% |
| 2 | Monroe County | 139 | 6.3% |
| 3 | Brown County | 127 | 5.8% |
| 4 | Marion County | 107 | 4.9% |
| 5 | Porter County | 107 | 4.9% |
| 6 | Knox County | 91 | 4.1% |
| 7 | Jasper County | 70 | 3.2% |
| 8 | Tippecanoe County | 63 | 2.9% |
| 9 | Marshall County | 62 | 2.8% |
| 10 | Lawrence County | 58 | 2.6% |
| 11 | Clark County | 55 | 2.5% |
| 12 | Newton County | 42 | 1.9% |
When do snakes come out in Indiana?
Observation records of snakes in Indiana run mostly April through October, peaking in May with 24% of them. December through February together hold under 2% of the records, so snakes in Indiana 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% | 4% | 16% | 24% | 19% | 7% | 11% | 9% | 7% | 2% | 0% |
Snakes: Indiana compared with its neighbors
Indiana ranks 21st of 50 states by the number of snake species listed, level with Nevada; Texas leads with 86 species.
Of the four states bordering Indiana, Illinois lists more snake species (Indiana: 27 species; Illinois 33, Ohio 25, Kentucky 24, Michigan 17).
What snakes are in Indiana? All 27 species
Ranked by licensed records in Indiana. Species with a profile page are linked.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northern water snake Nerodia sipedon | Colubridae | 394 | 17.9% |
| 2 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | Colubridae | 287 | 13.0% |
| 3 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | Colubridae | 179 | 8.1% |
| 4 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | Colubridae | 151 | 6.9% |
| 5 | Eastern rat snake Pantherophis alleghaniensis | Colubridae | 125 | 5.7% |
| 6 | Eastern milksnake Lampropeltis triangulum | Colubridae | 116 | 5.3% |
| 7 | Queen snake Regina septemvittata | Colubridae | 95 | 4.3% |
| 8 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | Colubridae | 94 | 4.3% |
| 9 | Eastern hog-nosed snake Heterodon platirhinos | Colubridae | 88 | 4.0% |
| 10 | Eastern wormsnake Carphophis amoenus | Colubridae | 80 | 3.6% |
| 11 | Eastern copperhead venomous Agkistrodon contortrix | Viperidae | 62 | 2.8% |
| 12 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | Colubridae | 49 | 2.2% |
| 13 | Eastern ribbonsnake Thamnophis saurita | Colubridae | 46 | 2.1% |
| 14 | Eastern black kingsnake Lampropeltis nigra | Colubridae | 40 | 1.8% |
| 15 | Eastern massasauga venomous Sistrurus catenatus | Viperidae | 39 | 1.8% |
| 16 | Kirtland's snake Clonophis kirtlandii | Colubridae | 39 | 1.8% |
| 17 | Plains garter snake Thamnophis radix | Colubridae | 30 | 1.4% |
| 18 | Eastern fox snake Pantherophis vulpinus | Colubridae | 29 | 1.3% |
| 19 | Diamondback water snake Nerodia rhombifer | Colubridae | 28 | 1.3% |
| 20 | Gopher snake Pituophis catenifer | Colubridae | 19 | 0.9% |
| 21 | Plain-bellied watersnake Nerodia erythrogaster | Colubridae | 18 | 0.8% |
| 22 | Prairie kingsnake Lampropeltis calligaster | Colubridae | 15 | 0.7% |
| 23 | Red-bellied snake Storeria occipitomaculata | Colubridae | 14 | 0.6% |
| 24 | Timber rattlesnake venomous Crotalus horridus | Viperidae | 14 | 0.6% |
| 25 | Smooth earth snake Virginia valeriae | Colubridae | 13 | 0.6% |
| 26 | Smooth green snake Opheodrys vernalis | Colubridae | 10 | 0.5% |
| 27 | Western ribbon snake Thamnophis proximus | Colubridae | 8 | 0.4% |
Also recorded in Indiana, fewer than 10 times
Beyond the main list, four snake species are known from Indiana 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.