Snakes in Kansas
Kansas has around 42 snake species, of which about 14 occur uniformly throughout the state. While nine have a western distribution, eleven mainly inhabit the eastern region. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism designates around ten as threatened or in need of conservation, like the glossy snake, plains hog-nosed snake, and long-nosed snake. The gopher snake, 6 feet long in the woodlands and prairie areas, is Kansas’ largest.
| Groups | Venomous | Non-venomous |
| Kingsnakes | – | Prairie Kingsnake Common Kingsnake Speckled Kingsnake Eastern Milksnake Western Milksnake Central Plains Milksnake |
| Rattlesnakes | Timber Rattlesnake Prairie Rattlesnake Western Massasauga Western Diamondback Rattlesnake | |
| Water Snakes | Northern Cottonmouth | Diamond-backed Watersnake Common Watersnake Plainbelly Water Snake |
| Ground Snakes | – | Western Ground Snake |
| Pit Vipers | Broad-banded Copperhead Eastern Copperhead | |
| Garter Snakes | – | Plains Gartersnake Common Gartersnake Checkered Gartersnake Western Ribbon Snake |
| Whip Snakes | – | Coachwhip |
| Rat Snakes | – | Great Plains Ratsnake Western Ratsnake Black Rat Snake |
| Hognose Snakes | Plains Hog-nosed Snake Dusty Hog-nosed Snake Eastern Hog-nosed Snake Western Hog-nosed Snake | |
| Opheodrys | – | Rough Greensnake Smooth Greensnake |
| Diadophis | – | Ring-necked snake |
| Arizona | – | Glossy Snake |
| Rhinocheilus | – | Long-nosed Snake |
| Tantilla | – | Flat-headed Snake Plains black-headed Snake |
| Tropidoclonion | – | Lined Snake |
| Storeria | – | Dekay’s Brownsnake Redbelly Snake |
| Hypsiglena | – | Chihuahuan Night Snake |
| Regina | – | Graham’s Crayfish Snake |
| Pituophis | – | Gopher Snake |
| Carphophis | – | Western Worm Snake |
Snakes by Colors and Patterns
Black Snakes: Black Rat Snake, Plains Black-headed Snake, Western Ribbon Snake
Brown Snakes: DeKay’s Brownsnake, Common Gartersnake
Snakes by Regions
Snakes in Northern Kansas: Western Massasauga
Snakes in Southern Kansas: Eastern Milksnake, Cottonmouth, Coachwhip Snake
Snakes in Eastern Kansas: Eastern Hog-nosed Snake,Timber Rattlesnake, Eastern Copperhead
Snakes in Western Kansas: Common Garter Snake, Western Milksnake, Coachwhip
Quick Information
Largest Snake: Gopher Snake
Smallest Snake: Western Worm Snake
