Snakes in British Columbia (BC)
Of the twelve snake species found in British Columbia, only one, i.e., the northern pacific rattlesnake, lives here. They inhabit the drier south-central part, mainly the Okanagan Valley region and the Kamloops area. In an incident in July 2020, a woman, new to Kamloops was bitten by a snake, possibly the rattlesnake, near the Cooney Bay area. She luckily survived because of prompt treatment and efforts made by the paramedics.
Of the non-venomous species, the sharp-tailed snake inhabits the southwestern parts of BC, mainly the southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Vancouver Island is also home to two other snake species: the northwestern garter snake and the western terrestrial garter snake.
In Victoria, British Columbia’s capital, a ball python went missing from its owner twice, once in July and then in August 2020, and was finally reported dead in September.
| Groups | Venomous | Non-venomous |
|---|---|---|
| Rattlesnakes | Northern Pacific Rattlesnake | – |
| Garter Snakes | – | Common Garter Snake Northwestern Garter Snake Western Terrestrial Garter Snake Puget Sound Garter Snake Valley Garter Snake Red-sided Garter Snake |
| Contia | – | Sharp-tailed Snake |
| Coluber | – | Western Yellow-bellied Racer |
| Charina | – | Rubber Boa |
| Pituophis | – | Great Basin Gopher Snake Bull Snake |
| Hypsiglena | – | Desert Night Snake |
