On this page, you can find an overview of snakes in Oregon. The list is separated into non-venomous and venomous snakes in Oregon. This should give you a quick overview if you are dealing with a venomous snake or not. Just click on any of the images or links to learn more about the snake.
Overall Oregon has sixteen snake species. Fourteen of them are harmless snakes. The Pacific rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus) and the Western rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) are the only venomous and potentially dangerous snake in Oregon.
If you have encountered a snake in Oregon 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.
Venomous snakes in Oregon
The two venomous snake species in Oregon, the western (or prairie) rattlesnake and the Pacific rattlesnake have previously been considered to be one species. Therefore, several outdaten sources state that there is only one venomous snake species in Oregon. The two snake species can have a similar appearance but the Pacific rattlesnake is found in the eastern part of the state while the western (or prairie) rattlesnake is found in the eastern parts.
Crotalus Oreganus – Pacific Rattlesnake
Crotalus Viridis – Western Rattlesnake
List of non-venomous snakes in Oregon
Of the fourteen non-venomous snake species in Oregon, four belong to the genus of garter snakes. Garter snakes can have a wide range of colors but usually have a dark body color with three lighter, often yellow, longitudinal stripes along their entire body. Other common harmless snakes in the state are the North American racer, the rubber boa and the ring-necked snake with its colorful belly. Oregon is also home to two native species of the kingsnake.
The Pacific gopher snake, including its subspecies the bullsnake, is a snake that has taken on the appearance and behavior of the venomous rattlesnake to deter predators. To learn more about each snake species, just click on the images or the links below.
Charina Bottae – Rubber Boa
Coluber Constrictor – Racer
Contia Tenuis – Sharp-Tailed Snake
Diadophis Punctatus – Ring-Necked Snake
Hypsiglena Torquata – Night Snake
Lampropeltis Californiae – California Kingsnake
Lampropeltis Zonata – California Mountain Kingsnake
Masticophis Taeniatus – Striped Whipsnake
Pituophis Catenifer – Pacific Gopher Snake
Sonora Semiannulata – Western Ground Snake
Thamnophis Atratus – Aquatic Garter Snake
Thamnophis Elegans – Western Terrestrial Garter Snake
Thamnophis Ordinoides – Northwestern Garter Snake
