Snakes in Maine
Maine has 9 snake species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 876 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the common garter snake, the red-bellied snake and the smooth green snake. None of the listed species is venomous. GBIF holds 3 venomous snake records of any license in Maine (timber rattlesnake 3), fewer than 10 of any one species; sensitive species can be withheld from open records. Treat any snake that looks like a rattlesnake as venomous.
Water snakes and swamp snakes in Maine
One species of this group is listed for Maine: the northern water snake, with 47 records (5% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the northern water snake in Maine come from Oxford County, Kennebec County and Washington County.
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes in Maine
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes dominate the snake record of Maine: two species and 57% of all records. The most recorded is the common garter snake (471), ahead of the eastern ribbonsnake (26).
Observation records of the common garter snake in Maine run mostly May through October, peaking in August; most licensed records come from Hancock County, Franklin County and Penobscot County.
Kingsnakes and milksnakes in Maine
One species of this group is listed for Maine: the eastern milksnake, with 46 records (5% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the eastern milksnake in Maine come from Hancock County, York County and Waldo County.
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes in Maine
One species of this group is listed for Maine: the eastern racer, with 10 records (1% of the state's snake records).
Green snakes in Maine
One species of this group is listed for Maine: the smooth green snake, with 85 records (10% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the smooth green snake in Maine come from Hancock County, Cumberland County and Somerset County.
Small woodland and burrowing snakes in Maine
Small woodland and burrowing snakes: three species are listed for Maine, with 188 records (21% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the red-bellied snake (132), ahead of the ring-necked snake (46).
Observation records of the red-bellied snake in Maine run mostly April through October, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Hancock County, Penobscot County and Somerset County. Most licensed records of the ring-necked snake in Maine come from Hancock County, Lincoln County and Washington County.
Where in Maine are snakes recorded most?
Hancock County leads with 163 records (19%), followed by Penobscot County and Cumberland County; the top five counties hold 51% of the total. 16 of Maine's 16 counties have at least one licensed snake record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hancock County | 163 | 18.6% |
| 2 | Penobscot County | 77 | 8.8% |
| 3 | Cumberland County | 75 | 8.6% |
| 4 | Franklin County | 69 | 7.9% |
| 5 | Somerset County | 66 | 7.5% |
| 6 | Lincoln County | 61 | 7.0% |
| 7 | Oxford County | 58 | 6.6% |
| 8 | York County | 51 | 5.8% |
| 9 | Kennebec County | 49 | 5.6% |
| 10 | Waldo County | 45 | 5.1% |
| 11 | Piscataquis County | 42 | 4.8% |
| 12 | Washington County | 41 | 4.7% |
When do snakes come out in Maine?
Observation records of snakes in Maine run mostly May through October, peaking in June with 22% of them. December through February together hold under 2% of the records, so snakes in Maine 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% | 6% | 14% | 22% | 17% | 18% | 16% | 8% | 0% | 0% |
Snakes: Maine compared with its neighbors
Maine ranks 44th of 50 states by the number of snake species listed, level with Montana, New Hampshire and Vermont; Texas leads with 86 species.
Maine lists as many snake species as the state it borders (Maine: 9 species; New Hampshire 9).
What snakes are in Maine? All 9 species
Ranked by licensed records in Maine. Species with a profile page are linked.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | Colubridae | 471 | 53.8% |
| 2 | Red-bellied snake Storeria occipitomaculata | Colubridae | 132 | 15.1% |
| 3 | Smooth green snake Opheodrys vernalis | Colubridae | 85 | 9.7% |
| 4 | Northern water snake Nerodia sipedon | Colubridae | 47 | 5.4% |
| 5 | Eastern milksnake Lampropeltis triangulum | Colubridae | 46 | 5.3% |
| 6 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | Colubridae | 46 | 5.3% |
| 7 | Eastern ribbonsnake Thamnophis saurita | Colubridae | 26 | 3.0% |
| 8 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | Colubridae | 10 | 1.1% |
| 9 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | Colubridae | 10 | 1.1% |
Also recorded in Maine, fewer than 10 times
Beyond the main list, one snake species is known from Maine by only three records of any license. It may be a genuine rarity at the edge of its range, or a stray, a released pet or an old misidentification, so treat it as unconfirmed. Venomous among them: timber rattlesnake.
Related pages
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.