Snakes in Massachusetts
Massachusetts has 13 snake species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 1,965 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the common garter snake, the northern water snake and the eastern milksnake. Two of them are venomous.
Rattlesnakes in Massachusetts
One species of this group is listed for Massachusetts: the timber rattlesnake, with 14 records (0.7% of the state's snake records).
Copperheads and cottonmouths in Massachusetts
One species of this group is listed for Massachusetts: the eastern copperhead, with 12 records (0.6% of the state's snake records).
Water snakes and swamp snakes in Massachusetts
One species of this group is listed for Massachusetts: the northern water snake, with 347 records (18% of the state's snake records).
Observation records of the northern water snake in Massachusetts run mostly April through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Middlesex County, Worcester County and Essex County.
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes in Massachusetts
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes dominate the snake record of Massachusetts: two species and 56% of all records. The most recorded is the common garter snake (1,035), ahead of the eastern ribbonsnake (70).
Observation records of the common garter snake in Massachusetts run mostly April through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Middlesex County, Worcester County and Essex County. Observation records of the eastern ribbonsnake in Massachusetts run mostly March through November, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Barnstable County, Dukes County and Plymouth County.
Rat snakes and corn snakes in Massachusetts
One species of this group is listed for Massachusetts: the eastern rat snake, with 3 records (0.2% of the state's snake records).
Kingsnakes and milksnakes in Massachusetts
One species of this group is listed for Massachusetts: the eastern milksnake, with 142 records (7% of the state's snake records).
Observation records of the eastern milksnake in Massachusetts run mostly May through October, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Middlesex County, Worcester County and Essex County.
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes in Massachusetts
One species of this group is listed for Massachusetts: the eastern racer, with 63 records (3% of the state's snake records).
Observation records of the eastern racer in Massachusetts run mostly April through October, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Barnstable County, Plymouth County and Norfolk County.
Hognose snakes in Massachusetts
One species of this group is listed for Massachusetts: the eastern hog-nosed snake, with 12 records (0.6% of the state's snake records).
Green snakes in Massachusetts
One species of this group is listed for Massachusetts: the smooth green snake, with 41 records (2% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the smooth green snake in Massachusetts come from Barnstable County, Dukes County and Middlesex County.
Small woodland and burrowing snakes in Massachusetts
Small woodland and burrowing snakes: three species are listed for Massachusetts, with 209 records (11% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the ring-necked snake (93), ahead of the DeKay's brown snake (84).
Observation records of the ring-necked snake in Massachusetts run mostly April through August, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Worcester County, Middlesex County and Barnstable County. Observation records of the DeKay's brown snake in Massachusetts run mostly March through October, peaking in April; most licensed records come from Middlesex County, Suffolk County and Plymouth County. Most licensed records of the red-bellied snake in Massachusetts come from Worcester County, Barnstable County and Hampshire County.
Where in Massachusetts are snakes recorded most?
Middlesex County dominates: 26% of the state's licensed snake records come from it alone, and the top five counties hold 69%. 14 of Massachusetts's 14 counties have at least one licensed snake record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlesex County | 506 | 25.8% |
| 2 | Worcester County | 327 | 16.6% |
| 3 | Norfolk County | 193 | 9.8% |
| 4 | Essex County | 181 | 9.2% |
| 5 | Barnstable County | 150 | 7.6% |
| 6 | Plymouth County | 129 | 6.6% |
| 7 | Hampden County | 96 | 4.9% |
| 8 | Dukes County | 75 | 3.8% |
| 9 | Hampshire County | 75 | 3.8% |
| 10 | Franklin County | 57 | 2.9% |
| 11 | Bristol County | 54 | 2.7% |
| 12 | Nantucket County | 45 | 2.3% |
When do snakes come out in Massachusetts?
Observation records of snakes in Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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% | 15% | 24% | 17% | 9% | 13% | 8% | 8% | 2% | 0% |
Snakes: Massachusetts compared with its neighbors
Massachusetts ranks 39th of 50 states by the number of snake species listed; Texas leads with 86 species.
Of the five states bordering Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut list more snake species (Massachusetts: 13 species; New York 17, Connecticut 14, Rhode Island 10, New Hampshire 9, Vermont 9).
What snakes are in Massachusetts? All 13 species
Ranked by licensed records in Massachusetts. Species with a profile page are linked.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | Colubridae | 1,035 | 52.7% |
| 2 | Northern water snake Nerodia sipedon | Colubridae | 347 | 17.7% |
| 3 | Eastern milksnake Lampropeltis triangulum | Colubridae | 142 | 7.2% |
| 4 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | Colubridae | 93 | 4.7% |
| 5 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | Colubridae | 84 | 4.3% |
| 6 | Eastern ribbonsnake Thamnophis saurita | Colubridae | 70 | 3.6% |
| 7 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | Colubridae | 63 | 3.2% |
| 8 | Smooth green snake Opheodrys vernalis | Colubridae | 41 | 2.1% |
| 9 | Red-bellied snake Storeria occipitomaculata | Colubridae | 32 | 1.6% |
| 10 | Timber rattlesnake venomous Crotalus horridus | Viperidae | 14 | 0.7% |
| 11 | Eastern copperhead venomous Agkistrodon contortrix | Viperidae | 12 | 0.6% |
| 12 | Eastern hog-nosed snake Heterodon platirhinos | Colubridae | 12 | 0.6% |
| 13 | Eastern rat snake Pantherophis alleghaniensis | Colubridae | 3 | 0.2% |
Also recorded in Massachusetts, fewer than 10 times
Beyond the main list, one snake species is known from Massachusetts by only seven 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.
Related pages
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.