Snakes and spiders in Payne County, Oklahoma
Payne County, home of Stillwater, has 19 snake and 27 spider species on record, from 312 licensed snake and 58 spider records. Venomous species here: the broad-banded copperhead, the timber rattlesnake, the brown recluse and the southern black widow.
Are there venomous snakes or spiders in Payne County?
Yes. The broad-banded copperhead: 14 licensed records, 8% of all Oklahoma records of it. The timber rattlesnake: 5 licensed records, 4% of all Oklahoma records of it. The brown recluse: 6 licensed records, 4% of all Oklahoma records of it. The southern black widow: 3 licensed records, 5% of all Oklahoma records of it.
What snakes are in Payne County?
In all, 19 snake species are on the Payne County list. The most recorded are the western ground snake (77), the ring-necked snake (29) and the flathead snake (26).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Oklahoma records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western ground snake Sonora semiannulata | 77 | 6% |
| 2 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | 29 | 3% |
| 3 | Flathead snake Tantilla gracilis | 26 | 2% |
| 4 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | 21 | 6% |
| 5 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | 19 | 7% |
| 6 | Rough earthsnake Haldea striatula | 16 | 6% |
| 7 | Broad-banded copperhead venomous Agkistrodon laticinctus | 14 | 8% |
| 8 | Diamondback water snake Nerodia rhombifer | 12 | 2% |
| 9 | Lined snake Tropidoclonion lineatum | 11 | 2% |
| 10 | Western rat snake Pantherophis obsoletus | 8 | 2% |
| 11 | Speckled kingsnake Lampropeltis holbrooki | 7 | 3% |
| 12 | Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum | 6 | 1% |
| 13 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | 6 | 2% |
| 14 | Plain-bellied watersnake Nerodia erythrogaster | 6 | 1% |
| 15 | Prairie kingsnake Lampropeltis calligaster | 6 | 3% |
| 16 | Western ribbon snake Thamnophis proximus | 6 | 1% |
| 17 | Timber rattlesnake venomous Crotalus horridus | 5 | 4% |
| 18 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | 4 | 1% |
| 19 | Eastern hog-nosed snake Heterodon platirhinos | 1 | 0% |
When are snakes out in Payne County?
Observation records of snakes in Payne County run mostly April through November, peaking in May with 31% of them, the same peak as Oklahoma as a whole.
What spiders are in Payne County?
In all, 27 spider species are on the Payne County list. The most recorded are the bold jumper (12), the black-and-yellow argiope (7) and the brown recluse (6).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Oklahoma records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | 12 | 2% |
| 2 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | 7 | 3% |
| 3 | Brown recluse venomous Loxosceles reclusa | 6 | 4% |
| 4 | Bronze jumper Eris militaris | 4 | 5% |
| 5 | Furrow orbweaver Larinioides cornutus | 3 | 8% |
| 6 | Southern black widow venomous Latrodectus mactans | 3 | 5% |
| 7 | Texas brown tarantula Aphonopelma hentzi | 3 | 4% |
| 8 | Common Hentz jumping spider Hentzia palmarum | 2 | 5% |
| 9 | Green lynx spider Peucetia viridans | 2 | 2% |
| 10 | High eye-lashed jumping spider Phidippus mystaceus | 2 | 4% |
| 11 | Cardinal jumper Phidippus cardinalis | 1 | 3% |
| 12 | Dimorphic jumper Maevia inclemens | 1 | 1% |
| 13 | Familiar jumping spider Platycryptus undatus | 1 | 0% |
| 14 | Peppered jumper Pelegrina galathea | 1 | 2% |
| 15 | Brilliant jumping spider Phidippus clarus | — | — |
| 16 | Flea jumping spider Naphrys pulex | — | — |
| 17 | Grayish jumping spider Phidippus princeps | — | — |
| 18 | Habronattus coecatus | — | — |
| 19 | Nursery web spider Pisaurina mira | — | — |
| 20 | Paraphidippus aurantius | — | — |
| 21 | Putnam's jumper Phidippus putnami | — | — |
| 22 | Rabid wolf spider Rabidosa rabida | — | — |
| 23 | Sixspotted fishing spider Dolomedes triton | — | — |
| 24 | Spotted orbweaver Neoscona crucifera | — | — |
| 25 | Striped lynx spider Oxyopes salticus | — | — |
| 26 | Wetland giant wolf spider Tigrosa helluo | — | — |
| 27 | Whitebanded crab spider Misumenoides formosipes | — | — |
When are spiders out in Payne County?
Observation records of spiders in Payne County run mostly April through November, peaking in August with 24% of them; across Oklahoma the peak is September.
Common in Oklahoma, not on the Payne County list
Among the snakes most recorded across Oklahoma, these do not reach the county list: the northern cottonmouth (429 statewide) and the western diamondback rattlesnake (417 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Harmless lookalikes in Payne County
Copperheads are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the plain-bellied watersnake and the eastern hog-nosed snake. No cottonmouths reach the county list, but the northern cottonmouth is on the Oklahoma list: treat any snake like it as venomous until identified. Harmless species often taken for them here: the diamondback water snake and the plain-bellied watersnake. Rattlesnakes are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the eastern hog-nosed snake.
Payne County among Oklahoma counties
By licensed snake records Payne County ranks 12th of 77 Oklahoma counties with any.
Other Oklahoma counties with their own page: Tulsa County, Comanche County, LeFlore County, Cleveland County, McCurtain County, Okmulgee County, Marshall County and Rogers County.
The whole state: venomous species in Oklahoma, all snakes, all spiders.
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.