Snakes and spiders in McLennan County, Texas
McLennan County, home of Waco, has 21 snake and 29 spider species on record, from 340 licensed snake and 60 spider records. Venomous species here: the western diamondback rattlesnake, the broad-banded copperhead, the eastern copperhead, the Texas coral snake, the northern cottonmouth, the southern black widow and the brown recluse.
Are there venomous snakes or spiders in McLennan County?
Yes. The western diamondback rattlesnake: 9 licensed records, 0% of all Texas records of it. The broad-banded copperhead: 7 licensed records, 2% of all Texas records of it. The eastern copperhead: 5 licensed records, 0% of all Texas records of it. The Texas coral snake: 3 licensed records, 1% of all Texas records of it. The northern cottonmouth: 1 licensed record, 0% of all Texas records of it. The southern black widow: 1 licensed record, 0% of all Texas records of it. The brown recluse: on record, no openly licensed records to count.
What snakes are in McLennan County?
In all, 21 snake species are on the McLennan County list. The most recorded are the rough earthsnake (52), the plain-bellied watersnake (42) and the Graham's crayfish snake (25).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Texas records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rough earthsnake Haldea striatula | 52 | 4% |
| 2 | Plain-bellied watersnake Nerodia erythrogaster | 42 | 2% |
| 3 | Graham's crayfish snake Regina grahamii | 25 | 13% |
| 4 | Lined snake Tropidoclonion lineatum | 24 | 8% |
| 5 | Diamondback water snake Nerodia rhombifer | 23 | 1% |
| 6 | Western ribbon snake Thamnophis proximus | 20 | 1% |
| 7 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | 17 | 3% |
| 8 | Western rat snake Pantherophis obsoletus | 17 | 1% |
| 9 | DeKay's brown snake Storeria dekayi | 12 | 1% |
| 10 | Texas blind snake Rena dulcis | 11 | 1% |
| 11 | Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum | 10 | 0% |
| 12 | Gopher snake Pituophis catenifer | 9 | 1% |
| 13 | Western diamondback rattlesnake venomous Crotalus atrox | 9 | 0% |
| 14 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | 8 | 1% |
| 15 | Broad-banded copperhead venomous Agkistrodon laticinctus | 7 | 2% |
| 16 | Eastern copperhead venomous Agkistrodon contortrix | 5 | 0% |
| 17 | Speckled kingsnake Lampropeltis holbrooki | 3 | 2% |
| 18 | Texas coral snake venomous Micrurus tener | 3 | 1% |
| 19 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | 2 | 1% |
| 20 | Eastern hog-nosed snake Heterodon platirhinos | 2 | 0% |
| 21 | Northern cottonmouth venomous Agkistrodon piscivorus | 1 | 0% |
What spiders are in McLennan County?
In all, 29 spider species are on the McLennan County list. The most recorded are the black-and-yellow argiope (7), the rabid wolf spider (5) and the bold jumper (4).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Texas records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | 7 | 0% |
| 2 | Rabid wolf spider Rabidosa rabida | 5 | 0% |
| 3 | Bold jumper Phidippus audax | 4 | 0% |
| 4 | Shoreline wolf spider Arctosa littoralis | 4 | 4% |
| 5 | Spiny-backed orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis | 3 | 0% |
| 6 | Bronze jumper Eris militaris | 2 | 1% |
| 7 | Falconina gracilis | 2 | 1% |
| 8 | Familiar jumping spider Platycryptus undatus | 2 | 0% |
| 9 | Green lynx spider Peucetia viridans | 2 | 0% |
| 10 | Lance wolf spider Schizocosa avida | 2 | 1% |
| 11 | Nursery web spider Pisaurina mira | 2 | 0% |
| 12 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | 1 | 0% |
| 13 | Carolina jumping spider Phidippus carolinensis | 1 | 1% |
| 14 | Common Hentz jumping spider Hentzia palmarum | 1 | 1% |
| 15 | Furrow orbweaver Larinioides cornutus | 1 | 1% |
| 16 | Hogna antelucana | 1 | 0% |
| 17 | Southern black widow venomous Latrodectus mactans | 1 | 0% |
| 18 | Tigrosa annexa | 1 | 0% |
| 19 | Araneus detrimentosus | — | — |
| 20 | Bagheera prosper | — | — |
| 21 | Box spider Crossopriza lyoni | — | — |
| 22 | Brown recluse venomous Loxosceles reclusa | — | — |
| 23 | Georgia wolf spider Tigrosa georgicola | — | — |
| 24 | Pantropical jumper Plexippus paykulli | — | — |
| 25 | Spotted orbweaver Neoscona crucifera | — | — |
| 26 | Striped lynx spider Oxyopes salticus | — | — |
| 27 | Triangulate bud spider Steatoda triangulosa | — | — |
| 28 | Twin-flagged jumping spider Anasaitis canosa | — | — |
| 29 | Western spotted orbweaver Neoscona oaxacensis | — | — |
When are spiders out in McLennan County?
Observation records of spiders in McLennan County run through most of the year, peaking in April with 21% of them, the same peak as Texas as a whole.
Common in Texas, not on the McLennan County list
Among the snakes most recorded across Texas, these do not reach the county list: the western ground snake (1,963 statewide) and the checkered garter snake (1,851 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Among the spiders most recorded across Texas, these do not reach the county list: Cicurina varians (514 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Harmless lookalikes in McLennan 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. Cottonmouths are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the plain-bellied watersnake and the diamondback water snake. Rattlesnakes are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the gopher snake and the eastern hog-nosed snake. Widow spiders are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the triangulate bud spider.
McLennan County among Texas counties
By licensed snake records McLennan County ranks 29th of 254 Texas counties with any.
Other Texas counties with their own page: Travis County, Brewster County, Harris County, Brazos County, El Paso County, Jeff Davis County, Val Verde County and Bexar County.
The whole state: venomous species in Texas, all snakes, all spiders.
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.