Snakes in New Mexico
New Mexico has 56 snake species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 6,452 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the gopher snake, the western diamondback rattlesnake and the western terrestrial garter snake. Ten of them are venomous.
Rattlesnakes in New Mexico
Rattlesnakes dominate the snake record of New Mexico: nine species and 28% of all records. The most recorded is the western diamondback rattlesnake (684), ahead of the prairie rattlesnake (573).
Observation records of the western diamondback rattlesnake in New Mexico run mostly May through October, peaking in August; most licensed records come from Hidalgo County, Doña Ana County and Eddy County. Observation records of the prairie rattlesnake in New Mexico run mostly April through September, peaking in September; most licensed records come from Hidalgo County, Doña Ana County and Socorro County. Observation records of the Mohave rattlesnake in New Mexico run mostly July through September, peaking in August; most licensed records come from Hidalgo County, Otero County and Grant County.
Coral snakes in New Mexico
One species of this group is listed for New Mexico: the Sonoran coralsnake, with 5 records (0.1% of the state's snake records).
Water snakes and swamp snakes in New Mexico
One species of this group is listed for New Mexico: the plain-bellied watersnake, with 23 records (0.4% of the state's snake records).
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes in New Mexico
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes: nine species are listed for New Mexico, with 1,167 records (18% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the western terrestrial garter snake (656), ahead of the blackneck garter snake (206).
Observation records of the western terrestrial garter snake in New Mexico run mostly May through October, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Rio Arriba County, Catron County and Lincoln County. Most licensed records of the blackneck garter snake in New Mexico come from Hidalgo County, Grant County and Catron County. Most licensed records of the checkered garter snake in New Mexico come from Hidalgo County, Eddy County and Doña Ana County.
Rat snakes and corn snakes in New Mexico
Rat snakes and corn snakes are a small part of the snake record here: four species with 1% of records between them. The most recorded is the Trans-Pecos rat snake (40), ahead of the Great Plains rat snake (18).
Most licensed records of the Trans-Pecos rat snake in New Mexico come from Eddy County, Doña Ana County and Sierra County.
Kingsnakes and milksnakes in New Mexico
Kingsnakes and milksnakes are a small part of the snake record here: six species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the desert kingsnake (61), ahead of the Sonoran mountain kingsnake (34).
Observation records of the desert kingsnake in New Mexico run mostly June through August, peaking in August; most licensed records come from Hidalgo County, Doña Ana County and Socorro County. Most licensed records of the Sonoran mountain kingsnake in New Mexico come from Grant County, Hidalgo County and Catron County.
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes in New Mexico
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes: seven species are listed for New Mexico, with 560 records (9% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the coachwhip (245), ahead of the striped whipsnake (129).
Observation records of the coachwhip in New Mexico run mostly May through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Doña Ana County, Luna County and Eddy County. Most licensed records of the striped whipsnake in New Mexico come from Doña Ana County, Grant County and Eddy County. Most licensed records of the eastern patch-nosed snake in New Mexico come from Grant County, Eddy County and Catron County.
Gopher snakes, bullsnakes and pine snakes in New Mexico
One species of this group is listed for New Mexico: the gopher snake, with 710 records (11% of the state's snake records).
Observation records of the gopher snake in New Mexico run mostly April through September, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Hidalgo County, Doña Ana County and Grant County.
Hognose snakes in New Mexico
Hognose snakes are a small part of the snake record here: two species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the plains hog-nosed snake (71), ahead of the Mexican hog-nose snake (54).
Most licensed records of the plains hog-nosed snake in New Mexico come from Hidalgo County, Grant County and Chaves County. Most licensed records of the Mexican hog-nose snake in New Mexico come from Hidalgo County, Luna County and Doña Ana County.
Green snakes in New Mexico
One species of this group is listed for New Mexico: the smooth green snake, with 25 records (0.4% of the state's snake records).
Small woodland and burrowing snakes in New Mexico
Small woodland and burrowing snakes: 15 species are listed for New Mexico, with 892 records (14% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the glossy snake (298), ahead of the long-nosed snake (169).
Plus three: New Mexico threadsnake, Great Plains ground snake, Sonoran lyre snake.
Most licensed records of the glossy snake in New Mexico come from Doña Ana County, Luna County and Hidalgo County. Observation records of the long-nosed snake in New Mexico run mostly May through September, peaking in August; most licensed records come from Hidalgo County, Doña Ana County and Grant County. Most licensed records of the plains black-headed snake in New Mexico come from Hidalgo County, Doña Ana County and Bernalillo County.
Where in New Mexico are snakes recorded most?
Hidalgo County leads with 1,320 records (20%), followed by Eddy County and Doña Ana County; the top five counties hold 58% of the total. 33 of New Mexico's 33 counties have at least one licensed snake record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hidalgo County | 1,320 | 20.5% |
| 2 | Eddy County | 986 | 15.3% |
| 3 | Doña Ana County | 747 | 11.6% |
| 4 | Grant County | 454 | 7.0% |
| 5 | Socorro County | 267 | 4.1% |
| 6 | Luna County | 262 | 4.1% |
| 7 | Catron County | 250 | 3.9% |
| 8 | Otero County | 240 | 3.7% |
| 9 | Rio Arriba County | 206 | 3.2% |
| 10 | Sierra County | 195 | 3.0% |
| 11 | Lincoln County | 168 | 2.6% |
| 12 | Bernalillo County | 168 | 2.6% |
When do snakes come out in New Mexico?
Observation records of snakes in New Mexico run mostly April through September, peaking in August with 30% of them. December through February together hold under 2% of the records, so snakes in New Mexico are rarely recorded in winter. The sharpest rise comes from June to July.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | 0% | 1% | 5% | 12% | 9% | 20% | 30% | 16% | 5% | 1% | 0% |
Snakes: New Mexico compared with its neighbors
New Mexico ranks 3rd of 50 states by the number of snake species listed; Texas leads with 86 species.
Of the five states bordering New Mexico, Texas and Arizona list more snake species (New Mexico: 56 species; Texas 86, Arizona 60, Oklahoma 50, Utah 28, Colorado 26).
What snakes are in New Mexico? All 56 species
Ranked by licensed records in New Mexico. Species with a profile page are linked.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gopher snake Pituophis catenifer | Colubridae | 710 | 11.0% |
| 2 | Western diamondback rattlesnake venomous Crotalus atrox | Viperidae | 684 | 10.6% |
| 3 | Western terrestrial garter snake Thamnophis elegans | Colubridae | 656 | 10.2% |
| 4 | Prairie rattlesnake venomous Crotalus viridis | Viperidae | 573 | 8.9% |
| 5 | Glossy snake Arizona elegans | Colubridae | 298 | 4.6% |
| 6 | Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum | Colubridae | 245 | 3.8% |
| 7 | Mohave rattlesnake venomous Crotalus scutulatus | Viperidae | 216 | 3.3% |
| 8 | Blackneck garter snake Thamnophis cyrtopsis | Colubridae | 206 | 3.2% |
| 9 | Long-nosed snake Rhinocheilus lecontei | Colubridae | 169 | 2.6% |
| 10 | Black-tailed rattlesnake venomous Crotalus molossus | Viperidae | 150 | 2.3% |
| 11 | Striped whipsnake Masticophis taeniatus | Colubridae | 129 | 2.0% |
| 12 | Checkered garter snake Thamnophis marcianus | Colubridae | 126 | 2.0% |
| 13 | Plains black-headed snake Tantilla nigriceps | Colubridae | 93 | 1.4% |
| 14 | Rock rattlesnake venomous Crotalus lepidus | Viperidae | 91 | 1.4% |
| 15 | Eastern patch-nosed snake Salvadora grahamiae | Colubridae | 77 | 1.2% |
| 16 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | Colubridae | 76 | 1.2% |
| 17 | Plains hog-nosed snake Heterodon nasicus | Colubridae | 71 | 1.1% |
| 18 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | Colubridae | 67 | 1.0% |
| 19 | Lined snake Tropidoclonion lineatum | Colubridae | 67 | 1.0% |
| 20 | Eastern black-tailed rattlesnake venomous Crotalus ornatus | Viperidae | 65 | 1.0% |
| 21 | Desert kingsnake Lampropeltis splendida | Colubridae | 61 | 0.9% |
| 22 | Mexican hog-nose snake Heterodon kennerlyi | Colubridae | 54 | 0.8% |
| 23 | Big Bend patch-nosed snake Salvadora deserticola | Colubridae | 52 | 0.8% |
| 24 | Western massasauga venomous Sistrurus tergeminus | Viperidae | 46 | 0.7% |
| 25 | Chihuahuan night snake Hypsiglena jani | Colubridae | 41 | 0.6% |
| 26 | Trans-Pecos rat snake Bogertophis subocularis | Colubridae | 40 | 0.6% |
| 27 | Plains garter snake Thamnophis radix | Colubridae | 37 | 0.6% |
| 28 | Chihuahuan hook-nosed snake Gyalopion canum | Colubridae | 35 | 0.5% |
| 29 | Sonoran mountain kingsnake Lampropeltis pyromelana | Colubridae | 34 | 0.5% |
| 30 | Western ground snake Sonora semiannulata | Colubridae | 34 | 0.5% |
| 31 | Narrow-headed garter snake Thamnophis rufipunctatus | Colubridae | 30 | 0.5% |
| 32 | Western patch-nosed snake Salvadora hexalepis | Colubridae | 29 | 0.4% |
| 33 | Smooth green snake Opheodrys vernalis | Colubridae | 25 | 0.4% |
| 34 | Western aquatic garter snake Thamnophis couchii | Colubridae | 24 | 0.4% |
| 35 | Plain-bellied watersnake Nerodia erythrogaster | Colubridae | 23 | 0.4% |
| 36 | Western threadsnake Rena humilis | Leptotyphlopidae | 22 | 0.3% |
| 37 | Great Plains rat snake Pantherophis emoryi | Colubridae | 18 | 0.3% |
| 38 | Sonoran whipsnake Masticophis bilineatus | Colubridae | 18 | 0.3% |
| 39 | Texas lyre snake Trimorphodon vilkinsonii | Colubridae | 18 | 0.3% |
| 40 | Corn snake Pantherophis guttatus | Colubridae | 15 | 0.2% |
| 41 | Texas blind snake Rena dulcis | Leptotyphlopidae | 14 | 0.2% |
| 42 | Western ribbon snake Thamnophis proximus | Colubridae | 14 | 0.2% |
| 43 | Southwestern blackhead snake Tantilla hobartsmithi | Colubridae | 11 | 0.2% |
| 44 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | Colubridae | 10 | 0.2% |
| 45 | Central plains milksnake Lampropeltis gentilis | Colubridae | 8 | 0.1% |
| 46 | Eastern milksnake Lampropeltis triangulum | Colubridae | 8 | 0.1% |
| 47 | New Mexico threadsnake Rena dissecta | Leptotyphlopidae | 8 | 0.1% |
| 48 | Mexican garter snake Thamnophis eques | Colubridae | 7 | 0.1% |
| 49 | Ridge-nosed rattlesnake venomous Crotalus willardi | Viperidae | 6 | 0.1% |
| 50 | Sonoran coralsnake venomous Micruroides euryxanthus | Elapidae | 5 | 0.1% |
| 51 | Chihuahuan mountain kingsnake Lampropeltis knoblochi | Colubridae | 4 | 0.1% |
| 52 | Green rat snake Senticolis triaspis | Colubridae | 4 | 0.1% |
| 53 | Great Plains ground snake Sonora episcopa | Colubridae | 3 | 0.0% |
| 54 | Sonoran lyre snake Trimorphodon lambda | Colubridae | 3 | 0.0% |
| 55 | Arizona black rattlesnake venomous Crotalus cerberus | Viperidae | 1 | 0.0% |
| 56 | Speckled kingsnake Lampropeltis holbrooki | Colubridae | 0 | 0.0% |
Also recorded in New Mexico, fewer than 10 times
Beyond the main list, five snake species are known from New Mexico 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.
Related pages
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.