On this page, you can find an overview of snakes in Minnesota. The list is separated into non-venomous and venomous snakes in Minnesota. This should give you a quick overview if you are dealing with a venomous snake or not.
18 different snake species can be found in Minnesota. Two of them are venomous species and the other 16 are non-venomous snake that are not harmful for humans.
Just click on any of the images or links to learn more about the snake.
If you have encountered a snake in Minnesota that is not yet on our list or that you cannot identify yourself, we’ll be happy to identify it for you. Simply take a picture of it and upload your picture, a quick description and the U.S. state where it was found here on our snake identification page.
List of venomous snakes in Minnesota
The two venomous snake species that can be found in Minnesota are the timber rattlesnake and the massasauga. The timber rattlesnake can only be found in the Southeastern parts of Minnesota and is listed as a threatened species in Minnesota. The venomous massasauga is also very rare and occurs in the Southeastern parts of the state. Even though there are some reports of sightings, there hasn’t been a confirmed sighting of a massasagua snake in Minnesota since 1960. Non-venomous snakes that mimick the appearance of rattlesnakes or the massasauga are often mistaken for venomous snakes.
Crotalus Horridus – Timber Rattlesnake
Sistrurus Catenatus – Massasauga Snake
List of non-venomous snakes in Minnesota
There are 16 non-venomous snake species in Minnesota. The most common non-venomous and harmless snakes in Minnesota are racer snakes, garter snakes, fox snakes and water snakes.
Coluber Constrictor – Racer
Diadophis Punctatus – Ring-Necked Snake
Heterodon Nasicus – Western Hognose Snake
Heterodon Platirhinos – Eastern Hognose Snake
Lampropeltis Triangulum – Milk Snake
Nerodia Sipedon – Common Watersnake
Opheodrys Vernalis – Smooth Green Snake
Pantherophis Obsoletus – Western Rat Snake
Pantherophis Ramspotti – Western Fox Snake
Pantherophis Vulpinus – Eastern Fox Snake
Pituophis Catenifer – Pacific Gopher Snake
Storeria Dekayi – Brown Snake
Storeria Occipitomaculata – Redbelly Snake
Thamnophis Radix – Plains Garter Snake
Thamnophis Sirtalis – Common Garter Snake
