Snake Encyclopedia
Search and identify 1,000+ snakes from around the world — with venomous status, family, range, size, habitat, and how to tell look-alikes apart.
Bockadam
A common brackish-water snake of Asian mangroves and estuaries, feeding mainly on fish and known for its dog-like snout.
Mandarin Rat Snake
A strikingly patterned, secretive burrowing snake from East Asia known for its bold gray, black, and orange saddle markings.
Prairie Kingsnake
A secretive, moderately patterned kingsnake of grasslands and open woods, often mistaken for a young rat snake or gopher snake.
Iberian Grass Snake
A harmless, water-associated colubrid endemic to the Iberian Peninsula and parts of northwestern Africa, closely related to other grass snakes.
Sind Awl-Headed Snake
A small, secretive burrowing colubrid of the arid Indus region, named for its narrow, pointed, awl-shaped snout adapted for pushing through sand.
Western Lyre Snake
A slender, big-eyed nocturnal snake of desert canyons and rocky slopes, named for the lyre-shaped mark atop its head.
Large Whip Snake
One of Europe's largest snakes, a fast and powerfully built whip snake found across the Balkans and around the Black Sea region.
False Water Cobra
A large, aquatic South American colubrid capable of flattening its neck into a cobra-like hood when threatened.
Caspian Whip Snake
One of Europe's largest snakes, a powerful and fast-moving colubrid found across the Balkans, Caucasus, and into Western Asia.
Ceylon Cat Snake
A small, reddish-brown cat snake endemic to Sri Lanka and adjacent southern India, active at night in forested and rural habitats.
Mexican Parrot Snake
A slender green tree snake closely related to the parrot snake, found in Mexican and Central American forests.
Twin-barred Tree Snake
A small relative of the flying snakes, marked with paired dark bars along a reddish or orange body, native to Southeast Asian forests.
Tiger Rat Snake
A large, boldly patterned tropical colubrid, striking in appearance and known for its speed and alertness.
Copper-Headed Trinket Snake
A large, striped colubrid with a coppery head and radiating facial lines, widespread across South and Southeast Asia.
Oriental Whip Snake
An extremely slender, bright green colubrid with a pointed snout, common in gardens and forest edges across South and Southeast Asia, with mild venom of little concern to people.
White-spotted Cat Snake
A slender, marbled cat snake often marked with pale flecks, found in the forests of Southeast Asia.
Striped Crayfish Snake
A small, boldly striped aquatic snake of Florida's wetlands, with a bright yellow belly stripe and a diet centered on crayfish.
Four-Lined Snake
One of Europe's largest snakes, named for the four dark longitudinal stripes running along its body in adults.
Black-headed Cat Snake
A slender, reddish-brown cat snake distinguished by its solid black or dark head, found in lowland forests of Southeast Asia.
Ecuadorian Milk Snake
A tricolor South American milk snake subspecies from the tropical lowlands of Ecuador and neighboring countries.
Graham's Crayfish Snake
A slender, striped aquatic snake of the central U.S. plains and prairies that feeds heavily on crayfish.
Salt Marsh Snake
A slender water snake specialized for life in coastal salt marshes and mangrove habitats.
Chihuahuan Nightsnake
A slender, nocturnal desert snake with catlike vertical pupils and a pair of dark neck blotches resembling a collar.
Black Swampsnake
A small, glossy black wetland snake with a bright red-orange belly, found in dense marsh vegetation of the southeastern coastal plain.
Milk Snake
A boldly banded, harmless colubrid known for mimicking the warning colors of venomous coral snakes across much of its range.
Frog-eating Rat Snake
A widespread South and Southeast Asian colubrid closely tied to wetlands, feeding heavily on frogs.
Steppe Ratsnake
A widespread, cold-tolerant ratsnake of the Eurasian steppe and taiga edges, ranging farther north than almost any other ratsnake species.
Natal Green Snake
A slender, bright green, harmless snake found in coastal and inland vegetation of southeastern Africa, often mistaken for the venomous boomslang.
Karoo Sand Snake
A slim, fast-moving sand snake adapted to the arid Karoo region of southern Africa, recognized by its streamlined build and alert daytime activity.
Western Ribbon Snake
A slender, fast-moving striped snake closely tied to water, ranging from the central US south through Mexico into Central America.
Speckled Green Snake
A slender green African bush snake distinguished by fine dark speckling along its back, harmless to humans.
Red-Bellied Snake
A tiny woodland colubrid best known for its bright red or orange belly, common across eastern North America.
Spotted Wolf Snake
A small, spotted South Asian wolf snake with enlarged front teeth used to grip prey, harmless to humans.
Ruthven's Kingsnake
A strikingly banded highland kingsnake of central Mexico, often patterned in red, black, and cream tricolor rings.
Sonoran Lyresnake
A slender, big-eyed nocturnal snake named for the lyre-shaped mark on its head, with rear fangs used to subdue small prey.
Nelson's Milk Snake
A boldly banded milk snake subspecies from western Mexico, featuring wide red bands and narrow black-and-white borders.
Rufous Beaked Snake
A fast-moving, ground-dwelling African snake named for its distinctive upturned, beak-like snout used for burrowing and probing after prey.
Brown House Snake
A common, adaptable African colubrid frequently found around human dwellings, valued informally for its role in controlling rodent populations.
Mexican Brown Snake
A small, secretive brown snake found in the highlands of central Mexico, closely related to the Dekay's brown snake of North America.
Mole Snake
A large, powerfully built, non-venomous African snake specialized in preying on burrowing rodents.
Yellow-bellied House Snake
A small, non-venomous South African house snake distinguished by its bright yellow underside contrasting with a darker back.
Common Smooth-Scaled Water Snake
A small, mildly venomous, aquatic colubrid common in the rice paddies, ponds, and waterways of Southeast Asia.
Russell's Kukri Snake
A small, harmless kukri snake of the Indian subcontinent named after herpetologist Patrick Russell.
Indo-Chinese Rat Snake
A slender, fast-moving rat snake widespread across Southeast Asia and southern China, closely related to the larger Indian rat snake.
Central Plains Milk Snake
A tricolor milk snake subspecies of the central US plains, closely resembling other regional milk snakes with red, black, and cream banding.
Pacific Gopher Snake
A large, heavy-bodied colubrid of the Pacific coast known for its loud hiss and defensive tail-vibrating display that often leads to mistaken identity as a rattlesnake.
Short-snouted Grass Snake
A grassland-dwelling sand snake of southern Africa recognized by its relatively short snout and active daytime habits.
Forest Flame Snake
A slender tricolor Neotropical snake whose banded red-and-black pattern mimics venomous coral snakes.