Snakes in New Hampshire
New Hampshire has 9 snake species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 584 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the common garter snake, the northern water snake and the eastern milksnake. None of the listed species is venomous. GBIF holds 2 venomous snake records of any license in New Hampshire (timber rattlesnake 2), 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 New Hampshire
One species of this group is listed for New Hampshire: the northern water snake, with 71 records (12% of the state's snake records).
Observation records of the northern water snake in New Hampshire run mostly April through September, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Rockingham County, Cheshire County and Hillsborough County.
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes in New Hampshire
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes dominate the snake record of New Hampshire: two species and 61% of all records. The most recorded is the common garter snake (325), ahead of the eastern ribbonsnake (30).
Observation records of the common garter snake in New Hampshire run mostly May through October, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Cheshire County, Hillsborough County and Grafton County. Most licensed records of the eastern ribbonsnake in New Hampshire come from Hillsborough County, Cheshire County and Rockingham County.
Kingsnakes and milksnakes in New Hampshire
One species of this group is listed for New Hampshire: the eastern milksnake, with 49 records (8% of the state's snake records).
Observation records of the eastern milksnake in New Hampshire run mostly May through October, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Cheshire County, Hillsborough County and Grafton County.
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes in New Hampshire
One species of this group is listed for New Hampshire: the eastern racer, with 8 records (1% of the state's snake records).
Green snakes in New Hampshire
One species of this group is listed for New Hampshire: the smooth green snake, with 21 records (4% of the state's snake records).
Small woodland and burrowing snakes in New Hampshire
Small woodland and burrowing snakes: three species are listed for New Hampshire, with 79 records (14% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the red-bellied snake (31), ahead of the ring-necked snake (25).
Most licensed records of the red-bellied snake in New Hampshire come from Cheshire County, Coos County and Grafton County.
Where in New Hampshire are snakes recorded most?
Cheshire County leads with 120 records (21%), followed by Hillsborough County and Rockingham County; the top five counties hold 76% of the total. 10 of New Hampshire's 10 counties have at least one licensed snake record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheshire County | 120 | 20.5% |
| 2 | Hillsborough County | 107 | 18.3% |
| 3 | Rockingham County | 96 | 16.4% |
| 4 | Grafton County | 73 | 12.5% |
| 5 | Sullivan County | 47 | 8.0% |
| 6 | Carroll County | 39 | 6.7% |
| 7 | Coos County | 39 | 6.7% |
| 8 | Belknap County | 27 | 4.6% |
| 9 | Merrimack County | 26 | 4.5% |
| 10 | Strafford County | 10 | 1.7% |
When do snakes come out in New Hampshire?
Observation records of snakes in New Hampshire run mostly April through October, peaking in June with 24% of them. December through February together hold under 2% of the records, so snakes in New Hampshire 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% | 0% | 9% | 18% | 24% | 15% | 14% | 9% | 10% | 1% | 0% |
Snakes: New Hampshire compared with its neighbors
New Hampshire ranks 44th of 50 states by the number of snake species listed, level with Maine, Montana and Vermont; Texas leads with 86 species.
Of the three states bordering New Hampshire, Massachusetts lists more snake species; Maine and Vermont list as many (New Hampshire: 9 species; Massachusetts 13, Maine 9, Vermont 9).
What snakes are in New Hampshire? All 9 species
Ranked by licensed records in New Hampshire. Species with a profile page are linked.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | Colubridae | 325 | 55.7% |
| 2 | Northern water snake Nerodia sipedon | Colubridae | 71 | 12.2% |
| 3 | Eastern milksnake Lampropeltis triangulum | Colubridae | 49 | 8.4% |
| 4 | Red-bellied snake Storeria occipitomaculata | Colubridae | 31 | 5.3% |
| 5 | Eastern ribbonsnake Thamnophis saurita | Colubridae | 30 | 5.1% |
| 6 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | Colubridae | 25 | 4.3% |
| 7 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | Colubridae | 23 | 3.9% |
| 8 | Smooth green snake Opheodrys vernalis | Colubridae | 21 | 3.6% |
| 9 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | Colubridae | 8 | 1.4% |
Also recorded in New Hampshire, fewer than 10 times
Beyond the main list, one snake species is known from New Hampshire by only six 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.