Snakes in Wyoming
Wyoming has 11 snake species on record, each with at least 10 GBIF records in the state, and 1,062 licensed records in all. The most recorded are the western terrestrial garter snake, the prairie rattlesnake and the gopher snake. Two of them are venomous.
Rattlesnakes in Wyoming
Rattlesnakes dominate the snake record of Wyoming: two species and 26% of all records. The most recorded is the prairie rattlesnake (254), ahead of the western rattlesnake (21).
Most licensed records of the prairie rattlesnake in Wyoming come from Campbell County, Sweetwater County and Fremont County.
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes in Wyoming
Garter snakes and ribbon snakes dominate the snake record of Wyoming: three species and 56% of all records. The most recorded is the western terrestrial garter snake (505), ahead of the common garter snake (47).
Observation records of the western terrestrial garter snake in Wyoming run mostly May through September, peaking in July; most licensed records come from Carbon County, Teton County and Albany County. Most licensed records of the common garter snake in Wyoming come from Teton County, Sheridan County and Platte County. Most licensed records of the plains garter snake in Wyoming come from Laramie County, Campbell County and Goshen County.
Kingsnakes and milksnakes in Wyoming
One species of this group is listed for Wyoming: the central plains milksnake, with 5 records (0.5% of the state's snake records).
Racers, whipsnakes and indigo snakes in Wyoming
One species of this group is listed for Wyoming: the eastern racer, with 34 records (3% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the eastern racer in Wyoming come from Platte County, Converse County and Campbell County.
Gopher snakes, bullsnakes and pine snakes in Wyoming
One species of this group is listed for Wyoming: the gopher snake, with 112 records (11% of the state's snake records).
Most licensed records of the gopher snake in Wyoming come from Platte County, Park County and Sheridan County.
Hognose snakes in Wyoming
One species of this group is listed for Wyoming: the plains hog-nosed snake, with 14 records (1% of the state's snake records).
Green snakes in Wyoming
One species of this group is listed for Wyoming: the smooth green snake, with 3 records (0.3% of the state's snake records).
Boas and pythons in Wyoming
One species of this group is listed for Wyoming: the northern rubber boa, with 3 records (0.3% of the state's snake records).
Where in Wyoming are snakes recorded most?
Carbon County leads with 248 records (23%), followed by Campbell County and Teton County; the top five counties hold 61% of the total. 23 of Wyoming's 23 counties have at least one licensed snake record.
| # | County | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carbon County | 248 | 23.4% |
| 2 | Campbell County | 179 | 16.9% |
| 3 | Teton County | 95 | 8.9% |
| 4 | Park County | 66 | 6.2% |
| 5 | Albany County | 61 | 5.7% |
| 6 | Platte County | 50 | 4.7% |
| 7 | Laramie County | 46 | 4.3% |
| 8 | Sweetwater County | 42 | 4.0% |
| 9 | Sheridan County | 33 | 3.1% |
| 10 | Crook County | 31 | 2.9% |
| 11 | Goshen County | 30 | 2.8% |
| 12 | Fremont County | 29 | 2.7% |
When do snakes come out in Wyoming?
Observation records of snakes in Wyoming run mostly May through September, peaking in July with 27% of them. December through February together hold under 2% of the records, so snakes in Wyoming are rarely recorded in winter. The sharpest rise comes from May to June.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% | 0% | 1% | 1% | 10% | 27% | 27% | 18% | 11% | 5% | 0% | 0% |
Snakes: Wyoming compared with its neighbors
Wyoming ranks 40th of 50 states by the number of snake species listed, level with Idaho and Washington; Texas leads with 86 species.
Of the six states bordering Wyoming, Nebraska, Utah, Colorado and South Dakota list more snake species; Idaho lists as many (Wyoming: 11 species; Nebraska 31, Utah 28, Colorado 26, South Dakota 16, Idaho 11, Montana 9).
What snakes are in Wyoming? All 11 species
Ranked by licensed records in Wyoming. Species with a profile page are linked.
| # | Species | Family | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western terrestrial garter snake Thamnophis elegans | Colubridae | 505 | 47.6% |
| 2 | Prairie rattlesnake venomous Crotalus viridis | Viperidae | 254 | 23.9% |
| 3 | Gopher snake Pituophis catenifer | Colubridae | 112 | 10.5% |
| 4 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | Colubridae | 47 | 4.4% |
| 5 | Plains garter snake Thamnophis radix | Colubridae | 46 | 4.3% |
| 6 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | Colubridae | 34 | 3.2% |
| 7 | Western rattlesnake venomous Crotalus oreganus | Viperidae | 21 | 2.0% |
| 8 | Plains hog-nosed snake Heterodon nasicus | Colubridae | 14 | 1.3% |
| 9 | Central plains milksnake Lampropeltis gentilis | Colubridae | 5 | 0.5% |
| 10 | Northern rubber boa Charina bottae | Boidae | 3 | 0.3% |
| 11 | Smooth green snake Opheodrys vernalis | Colubridae | 3 | 0.3% |
Also recorded in Wyoming, fewer than 10 times
Beyond the main list, two snake species are known from Wyoming 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.