Snakes in Louisiana
Louisiana has 41 snake species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 5,026 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the southern watersnake, the western ribbon snake and the green water snake. Five of them are venomous.
Rattlesnakes in Louisiana
Rattlesnakes are a small part of the snake record here: two species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the pygmy rattlesnake (86), ahead of the timber rattlesnake (38).
Most licensed records of the pygmy rattlesnake in Louisiana come from Saint Bernard Parish, Saint Tammany Parish and Iberia Parish. Most licensed records of the timber rattlesnake in Louisiana come from Natchitoches Parish, Plaquemines Parish and Rapides Parish.
Copperheads and cottonmouths in Louisiana
Copperheads and cottonmouths: two species are listed for Louisiana, with 573 records (11% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the northern cottonmouth (434), ahead of the eastern copperhead (139).
Observation records of the northern cottonmouth in Louisiana run through most of the year, peaking in April; most licensed records come from East Baton Rouge Parish, Saint Tammany Parish and Saint John the Baptist Parish. Observation records of the eastern copperhead in Louisiana run through most of the year, peaking in April; most licensed records come from Ouachita Parish, East Baton Rouge Parish and Lafayette Parish.
Coral snakes in Louisiana
One species of this group is listed for Louisiana: the Texas coral snake, with 38 records (0.8% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the Texas coral snake in Louisiana come from Jackson Parish, Natchitoches Parish and Allen Parish.
Water snakes and swamp snakes in Louisiana
Water snakes and swamp snakes dominate the snake record of Louisiana: nine species and 37% of all records. The most recorded is the southern watersnake (673), ahead of the green water snake (450).
Observation records of the southern watersnake in Louisiana run mostly February through October, peaking in April; most licensed records come from East Baton Rouge Parish, Jefferson Parish and Saint Tammany Parish. Observation records of the green water snake in Louisiana run mostly January through May, peaking in April; most licensed records come from Iberville Parish, Saint James Parish and Saint Mary Parish. Observation records of the diamondback water snake in Louisiana run through most of the year, peaking in April; most licensed records come from East Baton Rouge Parish, East Carroll Parish and Saint Tammany Parish.
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes in Louisiana
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes: three species are listed for Louisiana, with 700 records (14% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the western ribbon snake (580), ahead of the common garter snake (102).
Observation records of the western ribbon snake in Louisiana run through most of the year, peaking in April; most licensed records come from East Baton Rouge Parish, Saint Bernard Parish and Jefferson Parish. Observation records of the common garter snake in Louisiana run mostly February through October, peaking in March; most licensed records come from East Baton Rouge Parish, Saint Tammany Parish and Jackson Parish.
Rat snakes and corn snakes in Louisiana
Rat snakes and corn snakes: four species are listed for Louisiana, with 224 records (4% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the western rat snake (169), ahead of the eastern rat snake (29).
Observation records of the western rat snake in Louisiana run mostly February through September, peaking in April; most licensed records come from East Baton Rouge Parish, Avoyelles Parish and Lafayette Parish.
Kingsnakes and milksnakes in Louisiana
Kingsnakes and milksnakes: six species are listed for Louisiana, with 223 records (4% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the speckled kingsnake (115), ahead of the eastern milksnake (41).
Observation records of the speckled kingsnake in Louisiana run mostly March through October, peaking in April; most licensed records come from East Baton Rouge Parish, Saint Tammany Parish and Cameron Parish. Most licensed records of the eastern milksnake in Louisiana come from Saint Tammany Parish, Livingston Parish and Jefferson Parish. Most licensed records of the prairie kingsnake in Louisiana come from Rapides Parish, Natchitoches Parish and Bienville Parish.
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes in Louisiana
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes: two species are listed for Louisiana, with 323 records (6% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the eastern racer (293), ahead of the coachwhip (30).
Observation records of the eastern racer in Louisiana run mostly February through September, peaking in April; most licensed records come from East Baton Rouge Parish, Saint Tammany Parish and Morehouse Parish. Most licensed records of the coachwhip in Louisiana come from Vernon Parish, Jackson Parish and Rapides Parish.
Gopher snakes, bullsnakes and pine snakes in Louisiana
One species of this group is listed for Louisiana: the Louisiana pinesnake, with 11 records (0.2% of the state's snake records).
Hognose snakes in Louisiana
One species of this group is listed for Louisiana: the eastern hog-nosed snake, with 86 records (2% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the eastern hog-nosed snake in Louisiana come from Iberia Parish, Lafayette Parish and Jackson Parish.
Green snakes in Louisiana
One species of this group is listed for Louisiana: the rough greensnake, with 183 records (4% of the state's snake records).
Observation records of the rough greensnake in Louisiana run mostly March through November, peaking in August; most licensed records come from Jefferson Parish, Ouachita Parish and Saint Tammany Parish.
Small woodland and burrowing snakes in Louisiana
Small woodland and burrowing snakes: nine species are listed for Louisiana, with 503 records (10% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the DeKay's brown snake (224), ahead of the rough earthsnake (112).
Observation records of the DeKay's brown snake in Louisiana run through most of the year, peaking in March; most licensed records come from East Baton Rouge Parish, Orleans Parish and Lafayette Parish. Most licensed records of the rough earthsnake in Louisiana come from Natchitoches Parish, Union Parish and Jackson Parish. Observation records of the ring-necked snake in Louisiana run mostly February through July, peaking in April; most licensed records come from Saint Tammany Parish, East Baton Rouge Parish and Washington Parish.
Where in Louisiana are snakes recorded most?
East Baton Rouge Parish leads with 745 records (15%), followed by Saint Tammany Parish and Jefferson Parish; the top five counties hold 36% of the total. 64 of Louisiana's 64 counties have at least one licensed snake record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Baton Rouge Parish | 745 | 14.8% |
| 2 | Saint Tammany Parish | 379 | 7.5% |
| 3 | Jefferson Parish | 301 | 6.0% |
| 4 | Natchitoches Parish | 190 | 3.8% |
| 5 | Ouachita Parish | 175 | 3.5% |
| 6 | Plaquemines Parish | 142 | 2.8% |
| 7 | Saint James Parish | 139 | 2.8% |
| 8 | Jackson Parish | 135 | 2.7% |
| 9 | Lafayette Parish | 127 | 2.5% |
| 10 | Orleans Parish | 125 | 2.5% |
| 11 | Saint Bernard Parish | 124 | 2.5% |
| 12 | Cameron Parish | 120 | 2.4% |
When do snakes come out in Louisiana?
Observation records of snakes in Louisiana run mostly February through October, peaking in April with 25% of them. Winter (December to February) holds 12% of the records. The sharpest rise comes from February to March.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2% | 7% | 17% | 25% | 13% | 8% | 6% | 7% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 3% |
Snakes: Louisiana compared with its neighbors
Louisiana ranks 10th of 50 states by the number of snake species listed; Texas leads with 86 species.
Of the three states bordering Louisiana, Texas lists more snake species (Louisiana: 41 species; Texas 86, Mississippi 38, Arkansas 36).
What snakes are in Louisiana? All 41 species
Ranked by licensed records in Louisiana. Species with a profile page are linked.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern watersnake Nerodia fasciata | Colubridae | 673 | 13.4% |
| 2 | Western ribbon snake Thamnophis proximus | Colubridae | 580 | 11.5% |
| 3 | Green water snake Nerodia cyclopion | Colubridae | 450 | 9.0% |
| 4 | Northern cottonmouth venomous Agkistrodon piscivorus | Viperidae | 434 | 8.6% |
| 5 | Diamondback water snake Nerodia rhombifer | Colubridae | 296 | 5.9% |
| 6 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | Colubridae | 293 | 5.8% |
| 7 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | Colubridae | 224 | 4.5% |
| 8 | Plain-bellied watersnake Nerodia erythrogaster | Colubridae | 216 | 4.3% |
| 9 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | Colubridae | 183 | 3.6% |
| 10 | Western rat snake Pantherophis obsoletus | Colubridae | 169 | 3.4% |
| 11 | Eastern copperhead venomous Agkistrodon contortrix | Viperidae | 139 | 2.8% |
| 12 | Speckled kingsnake Lampropeltis holbrooki | Colubridae | 115 | 2.3% |
| 13 | Rough earthsnake Haldea striatula | Colubridae | 112 | 2.2% |
| 14 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | Colubridae | 102 | 2.0% |
| 15 | Mud snake Farancia abacura | Colubridae | 98 | 1.9% |
| 16 | Eastern hog-nosed snake Heterodon platirhinos | Colubridae | 86 | 1.7% |
| 17 | Pygmy rattlesnake venomous Sistrurus miliarius | Viperidae | 86 | 1.7% |
| 18 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | Colubridae | 80 | 1.6% |
| 19 | Crayfish snake Liodytes rigida | Colubridae | 64 | 1.3% |
| 20 | Eastern milksnake Lampropeltis triangulum | Colubridae | 41 | 0.8% |
| 21 | Graham's crayfish snake Regina grahamii | Colubridae | 41 | 0.8% |
| 22 | Prairie kingsnake Lampropeltis calligaster | Colubridae | 41 | 0.8% |
| 23 | Texas coral snake venomous Micrurus tener | Elapidae | 38 | 0.8% |
| 24 | Timber rattlesnake venomous Crotalus horridus | Viperidae | 38 | 0.8% |
| 25 | Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum | Colubridae | 30 | 0.6% |
| 26 | Eastern rat snake Pantherophis alleghaniensis | Colubridae | 29 | 0.6% |
| 27 | Northern water snake Nerodia sipedon | Colubridae | 26 | 0.5% |
| 28 | Scarlet snake Cemophora coccinea | Colubridae | 21 | 0.4% |
| 29 | Eastern wormsnake Carphophis amoenus | Colubridae | 20 | 0.4% |
| 30 | Corn snake Pantherophis guttatus | Colubridae | 19 | 0.4% |
| 31 | Eastern ribbonsnake Thamnophis saurita | Colubridae | 18 | 0.4% |
| 32 | Red-bellied snake Storeria occipitomaculata | Colubridae | 18 | 0.4% |
| 33 | Salt marsh snake Nerodia clarkii | Colubridae | 18 | 0.4% |
| 34 | Smooth earth snake Virginia valeriae | Colubridae | 17 | 0.3% |
| 35 | Central plains milksnake Lampropeltis gentilis | Colubridae | 13 | 0.3% |
| 36 | Scarlet kingsnake Lampropeltis elapsoides | Colubridae | 12 | 0.2% |
| 37 | Louisiana pinesnake Pituophis ruthveni | Colubridae | 11 | 0.2% |
| 38 | Southeastern crown snake Tantilla coronata | Colubridae | 10 | 0.2% |
| 39 | Slowinski's cornsnake Pantherophis slowinskii | Colubridae | 7 | 0.1% |
| 40 | Brahminy blindsnake introduced Indotyphlops braminus | Typhlopidae | 1 | 0.0% |
| 41 | Eastern black kingsnake Lampropeltis nigra | Colubridae | 1 | 0.0% |
Also recorded in Louisiana, fewer than 10 times
Beyond the main list, four snake species are known from Louisiana 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. Venomous among them: eastern coral snake.
Related pages
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.