Snakes in Manitoba

Of the six snakes living in Manitoba, none of them belong to the group of venomous species. The gaboon viper known for its enormous fangs, was spotted in Winnipeg in 2008, responsible for inflicting severe injuries on a 31-year-old man.

One of the prime attractions of the province is its increased concentration of red-sided garter snakes at the Narcisse Snake Dens, a wildlife management area. One could catch sight of abundant snake species coming out of their winter den during late April or early May. Initially, Narcisse had around 70,000 snake population that underwent a massive depletion during 1999 when they fell victim to the harsh weather conditions. The red-sided garter snakes aren’t harmful, yet viewing them from the observation areas adjacent to the dens is safe.

Groups	Venomous	Non-venomous
Garter Snakes	–	Plains Garter Snake Common Garter Snake Red-sided Garter Snake
Hognose Snakes	–	Western Hognose Snake
Opheodrys	–	Smooth Green Snake
Storeria	–	Northern Red-bellied Snake