Snakes in Michigan
Michigan has 17 snake species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 5,184 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the common garter snake, the northern water snake and the red-bellied snake. One of them is venomous.
Rattlesnakes in Michigan
One species of this group is listed for Michigan: the eastern massasauga, with 246 records (5% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the eastern massasauga in Michigan come from Washtenaw County, Livingston County and Oakland County.
Water snakes and swamp snakes in Michigan
Water snakes and swamp snakes: four species are listed for Michigan, with 661 records (13% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the northern water snake (584), ahead of the queen snake (60).
Observation records of the northern water snake in Michigan run mostly April through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Cheboygan County, Isabella County and Charlevoix County. Most licensed records of the queen snake in Michigan come from Washtenaw County, Oakland County and Kent County.
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes in Michigan
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes dominate the snake record of Michigan: three species and 46% of all records. The most recorded is the common garter snake (1,840), ahead of the Butler's garter snake (284).
Observation records of the common garter snake in Michigan run mostly April through October, peaking in April; most licensed records come from Washtenaw County, Isabella County and Wayne County. Most licensed records of the Butler's garter snake in Michigan come from Washtenaw County, Wayne County and Jackson County. Most licensed records of the eastern ribbonsnake in Michigan come from Washtenaw County, Huron County and Isabella County.
Rat snakes and corn snakes in Michigan
Rat snakes and corn snakes are a small part of the snake record here: two species with 1% of records between them. The most recorded is the eastern fox snake (67), ahead of the eastern rat snake (9).
Most licensed records of the eastern fox snake in Michigan come from Monroe County, Delta County and Huron County.
Kingsnakes and milksnakes in Michigan
One species of this group is listed for Michigan: the eastern milksnake, with 285 records (5% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the eastern milksnake in Michigan come from Washtenaw County, Isabella County and Cheboygan County.
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes in Michigan
One species of this group is listed for Michigan: the eastern racer, with 151 records (3% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the eastern racer in Michigan come from Washtenaw County, Livingston County and Berrien County.
Hognose snakes in Michigan
One species of this group is listed for Michigan: the eastern hog-nosed snake, with 165 records (3% of the state's snake records).
Observation records of the eastern hog-nosed snake in Michigan run mostly May through August, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Huron County, Isabella County and Wayne County.
Green snakes in Michigan
One species of this group is listed for Michigan: the smooth green snake, with 256 records (5% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the smooth green snake in Michigan come from Cheboygan County, Crawford County and Schoolcraft County.
Small woodland and burrowing snakes in Michigan
Small woodland and burrowing snakes: three species are listed for Michigan, with 934 records (18% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the red-bellied snake (399), ahead of the DeKay's brown snake (355).
Observation records of the red-bellied snake in Michigan run mostly May through October, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Gogebic County, Schoolcraft County and Ontonagon County. Observation records of the DeKay's brown snake in Michigan run mostly April through October, peaking in October; most licensed records come from Washtenaw County, Ottawa County and Isabella County. Most licensed records of the ring-necked snake in Michigan come from Cheboygan County, Charlevoix County and Leelanau County.
Where in Michigan are snakes recorded most?
Washtenaw County leads with 754 records (15%), followed by Isabella County and Cheboygan County; the top five counties hold 34% of the total. 83 of Michigan's 83 counties have at least one licensed snake record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washtenaw County | 754 | 14.5% |
| 2 | Isabella County | 352 | 6.8% |
| 3 | Cheboygan County | 265 | 5.1% |
| 4 | Wayne County | 204 | 3.9% |
| 5 | Charlevoix County | 184 | 3.5% |
| 6 | Oakland County | 159 | 3.1% |
| 7 | Livingston County | 147 | 2.8% |
| 8 | Huron County | 144 | 2.8% |
| 9 | Gogebic County | 97 | 1.9% |
| 10 | Schoolcraft County | 95 | 1.8% |
| 11 | Monroe County | 86 | 1.7% |
| 12 | Mackinac County | 81 | 1.6% |
When do snakes come out in Michigan?
Observation records of snakes in Michigan run mostly April through October, peaking in May with 21% of them. December through February together hold under 2% of the records, so snakes in Michigan 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% | 21% | 18% | 12% | 11% | 8% | 8% | 1% | 0% |
Snakes: Michigan compared with its neighbors
Michigan ranks 31st of 50 states by the number of snake species listed, level with New York; Texas leads with 86 species.
Of the three states bordering Michigan, Indiana and Ohio list more snake species (Michigan: 17 species; Indiana 27, Ohio 25, Wisconsin 16).
What snakes are in Michigan? All 17 species
Ranked by licensed records in Michigan. Species with a profile page are linked.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | Colubridae | 1,840 | 35.5% |
| 2 | Northern water snake Nerodia sipedon | Colubridae | 584 | 11.3% |
| 3 | Red-bellied snake Storeria occipitomaculata | Colubridae | 399 | 7.7% |
| 4 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | Colubridae | 355 | 6.8% |
| 5 | Eastern milksnake Lampropeltis triangulum | Colubridae | 285 | 5.5% |
| 6 | Butler's garter snake Thamnophis butleri | Colubridae | 284 | 5.5% |
| 7 | Smooth green snake Opheodrys vernalis | Colubridae | 256 | 4.9% |
| 8 | Eastern massasauga venomous Sistrurus catenatus | Viperidae | 246 | 4.7% |
| 9 | Eastern ribbonsnake Thamnophis saurita | Colubridae | 244 | 4.7% |
| 10 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | Colubridae | 180 | 3.5% |
| 11 | Eastern hog-nosed snake Heterodon platirhinos | Colubridae | 165 | 3.2% |
| 12 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | Colubridae | 151 | 2.9% |
| 13 | Eastern fox snake Pantherophis vulpinus | Colubridae | 67 | 1.3% |
| 14 | Queen snake Regina septemvittata | Colubridae | 60 | 1.2% |
| 15 | Eastern rat snake Pantherophis alleghaniensis | Colubridae | 9 | 0.2% |
| 16 | Kirtland's snake Clonophis kirtlandii | Colubridae | 9 | 0.2% |
| 17 | Plain-bellied watersnake Nerodia erythrogaster | Colubridae | 8 | 0.2% |
Related pages
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.