Snakes in Ohio
Ohio has 25 snake species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 6,101 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the common garter snake, the northern water snake and the DeKay's brown snake. Three of them are venomous.
Rattlesnakes in Ohio
Rattlesnakes are a small part of the snake record here: two species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the eastern massasauga (78), ahead of the timber rattlesnake (39).
Most licensed records of the eastern massasauga in Ohio come from Trumbull County, Preble County and Ashtabula County. Most licensed records of the timber rattlesnake in Ohio come from Scioto County, Ross County and Vinton County.
Copperheads and cottonmouths in Ohio
One species of this group is listed for Ohio: the eastern copperhead, with 94 records (2% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the eastern copperhead in Ohio come from Scioto County, Columbiana County and Adams County.
Water snakes and swamp snakes in Ohio
Water snakes and swamp snakes dominate the snake record of Ohio: four species and 28% of all records. The most recorded is the northern water snake (1,271), ahead of the queen snake (323).
Observation records of the northern water snake in Ohio run mostly April through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Ottawa County, Lucas County and Summit County. Observation records of the queen snake in Ohio run mostly April through September, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Montgomery County, Brown County and Erie County. Most licensed records of the Kirtland's snake in Ohio come from Hamilton County, Lucas County and Champaign County.
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes in Ohio
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes dominate the snake record of Ohio: five species and 29% of all records. The most recorded is the common garter snake (1,624), ahead of the eastern ribbonsnake (63).
Observation records of the common garter snake in Ohio run mostly March through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Summit County, Cuyahoga County and Portage County. Observation records of the eastern ribbonsnake in Ohio run mostly April through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Summit County, Portage County and Geauga County. Most licensed records of the Butler's garter snake in Ohio come from Erie County, Lucas County and Licking County.
Rat snakes and corn snakes in Ohio
Rat snakes and corn snakes: two species are listed for Ohio, with 383 records (6% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the eastern rat snake (256), ahead of the eastern fox snake (127).
Observation records of the eastern rat snake in Ohio run mostly April through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Lake County, Clermont County and Summit County. Observation records of the eastern fox snake in Ohio run mostly May through September, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Erie County, Lucas County and Ottawa County.
Kingsnakes and milksnakes in Ohio
Kingsnakes and milksnakes: two species are listed for Ohio, with 231 records (4% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the eastern milksnake (214), ahead of the eastern black kingsnake (17).
Observation records of the eastern milksnake in Ohio run mostly May through October, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Summit County, Scioto County and Franklin County.
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes in Ohio
One species of this group is listed for Ohio: the eastern racer, with 154 records (3% of the state's snake records).
Observation records of the eastern racer in Ohio run mostly March through September, peaking in April; most licensed records come from Scioto County, Lucas County and Butler County.
Hognose snakes in Ohio
One species of this group is listed for Ohio: the eastern hog-nosed snake, with 64 records (1% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the eastern hog-nosed snake in Ohio come from Lucas County, Erie County and Hocking County.
Green snakes in Ohio
Green snakes are a small part of the snake record here: two species with 2% of records between them. The most recorded is the smooth green snake (81), ahead of the rough greensnake (53).
Observation records of the smooth green snake in Ohio run mostly April through October, peaking in April; most licensed records come from Summit County, Cuyahoga County and Greene County. Most licensed records of the rough greensnake in Ohio come from Scioto County, Lawrence County and Adams County.
Small woodland and burrowing snakes in Ohio
Small woodland and burrowing snakes: five species are listed for Ohio, with 1,363 records (22% of the state's snake records). The most recorded is the DeKay's brown snake (959), ahead of the ring-necked snake (194).
Observation records of the DeKay's brown snake in Ohio run mostly April through October, peaking in June; most licensed records come from Summit County, Ottawa County and Cuyahoga County. Observation records of the ring-necked snake in Ohio run mostly April through August, peaking in May; most licensed records come from Scioto County, Hocking County and Summit County. Observation records of the red-bellied snake in Ohio run mostly May through October, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Summit County, Cuyahoga County and Scioto County.
Where in Ohio are snakes recorded most?
Summit County leads with 1,087 records (18%), followed by Ottawa County and Erie County; the top five counties hold 38% of the total. 88 of Ohio's 88 counties have at least one licensed snake record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Summit County | 1,087 | 17.8% |
| 2 | Ottawa County | 357 | 5.9% |
| 3 | Erie County | 320 | 5.2% |
| 4 | Cuyahoga County | 290 | 4.8% |
| 5 | Scioto County | 289 | 4.7% |
| 6 | Lucas County | 288 | 4.7% |
| 7 | Franklin County | 209 | 3.4% |
| 8 | Montgomery County | 184 | 3.0% |
| 9 | Portage County | 171 | 2.8% |
| 10 | Hamilton County | 132 | 2.2% |
| 11 | Greene County | 101 | 1.7% |
| 12 | Hocking County | 93 | 1.5% |
When do snakes come out in Ohio?
Observation records of snakes in Ohio run mostly April through October, peaking in May with 27% of them. December through February together hold under 2% of the records, so snakes in Ohio 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% | 3% | 14% | 27% | 19% | 12% | 8% | 10% | 6% | 1% | 0% |
Snakes: Ohio compared with its neighbors
Ohio ranks 24th of 50 states by the number of snake species listed; Texas leads with 86 species.
Of the five states bordering Ohio, Indiana lists more snake species (Ohio: 25 species; Indiana 27, Kentucky 24, Pennsylvania 20, West Virginia 18, Michigan 17).
What snakes are in Ohio? All 25 species
Ranked by licensed records in Ohio. Species with a profile page are linked.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | Colubridae | 1,624 | 26.6% |
| 2 | Northern water snake Nerodia sipedon | Colubridae | 1,271 | 20.8% |
| 3 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | Colubridae | 959 | 15.7% |
| 4 | Queen snake Regina septemvittata | Colubridae | 323 | 5.3% |
| 5 | Eastern rat snake Pantherophis alleghaniensis | Colubridae | 256 | 4.2% |
| 6 | Eastern milksnake Lampropeltis triangulum | Colubridae | 214 | 3.5% |
| 7 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | Colubridae | 194 | 3.2% |
| 8 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | Colubridae | 154 | 2.5% |
| 9 | Eastern fox snake Pantherophis vulpinus | Colubridae | 127 | 2.1% |
| 10 | Red-bellied snake Storeria occipitomaculata | Colubridae | 124 | 2.0% |
| 11 | Eastern copperhead venomous Agkistrodon contortrix | Viperidae | 94 | 1.5% |
| 12 | Smooth green snake Opheodrys vernalis | Colubridae | 81 | 1.3% |
| 13 | Eastern massasauga venomous Sistrurus catenatus | Viperidae | 78 | 1.3% |
| 14 | Kirtland's snake Clonophis kirtlandii | Colubridae | 74 | 1.2% |
| 15 | Eastern hog-nosed snake Heterodon platirhinos | Colubridae | 64 | 1.0% |
| 16 | Eastern ribbonsnake Thamnophis saurita | Colubridae | 63 | 1.0% |
| 17 | Eastern wormsnake Carphophis amoenus | Colubridae | 58 | 1.0% |
| 18 | Butler's garter snake Thamnophis butleri | Colubridae | 57 | 0.9% |
| 19 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | Colubridae | 53 | 0.9% |
| 20 | Timber rattlesnake venomous Crotalus horridus | Viperidae | 39 | 0.6% |
| 21 | Smooth earth snake Virginia valeriae | Colubridae | 28 | 0.5% |
| 22 | Plain-bellied watersnake Nerodia erythrogaster | Colubridae | 23 | 0.4% |
| 23 | Eastern black kingsnake Lampropeltis nigra | Colubridae | 17 | 0.3% |
| 24 | Plains garter snake Thamnophis radix | Colubridae | 11 | 0.2% |
| 25 | Shorthead garter snake Thamnophis brachystoma | Colubridae | 2 | 0.0% |
Also recorded in Ohio, fewer than 10 times
Beyond the main list, one snake species is known from Ohio 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.
Related pages
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.