Snakes in Oregon

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 information

Crotalus Oreganus – Pacific Rattlesnake

Crotalus oreganus, commonly called the (Northern) Pacific rattlesnake is a venomous rattlesnake found in Western America from British Columbia in ...
Crotalus Viridis - Western Rattlesnake prairie rattlesnake in Montana

Crotalus Viridis – Western Rattlesnake

The western rattlesnake or prairie rattlensnake, is a venomous snake species that can be found in the Mid-West of the ...

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 Overview

Charina Bottae – Rubber Boa

Charina bottae, the rubber boa, is the smaller of the two species of boas native to the United States. It ...
Eastern racer Coluber constrictor in the United States overview

Coluber Constrictor – Racer

Coluber constrictor, commonly called the eastern racer is a nonvenomous snake species. The species contains eleven subspecies that can be ...
Contia Tenuis - Sharp-Tailed Snake in the United States information

Contia Tenuis – Sharp-Tailed Snake

The sharp-tailed snake, Contia tenuis, is a small, almost worm-like snake found in the Western United States. The brown, orange ...
Diadophis Punctatus - Ring-Necked Snake grey brown with yellow belly and yellow ring around its neck

Diadophis Punctatus – Ring-Necked Snake

The ring-necked snake, Diadophis punctatus, is a harmless small snake that can be found throughout most of the United States ...
Hypsiglena Torquata - Night Snake in the united states information

Hypsiglena Torquata – Night Snake

The night snake is a small, mostly nocturnal snake found in the Western United States and in Mexico. Its body ...
Lampropeltis Californiae - California Kingsnake information

Lampropeltis Californiae – California Kingsnake

The California kingsnake is a nonvenomous snake found in the Western United States, in Northwestern Mexico and as an invasive ...
Lampropeltis zonata - California mountain kingsnake information

Lampropeltis Zonata – California Mountain Kingsnake

The california mountain kingsnake, is a nonvenomous snake with red, black and white/yellow crossbands mimicking the appearance of venomous coral ...
Masticophis Taeniatus - Striped Whipsnake information

Masticophis Taeniatus – Striped Whipsnake

The striped whipsnake is a nonvenomous snake found in the Western and Southern United States and in Northwestern Mexico. It ...
Pituophis Catenifer - Pacific Gopher Snake information bullsnake, western gopher snake

Pituophis Catenifer – Pacific Gopher Snake

The Pacific gopher snake, Pituophis catenifer, is a nonvenomous snake found in the Western United States, Canada and Mexico. It ...
Sonora Semiannulata - Western Ground Snake information

Sonora Semiannulata – Western Ground Snake

Sonora semiannulata, the western ground snake is a small nonvenomous snake found in the Western United States and in Mexico ...
Thamnophis Atratus - Aquatic Garter Snake information

Thamnophis Atratus – Aquatic Garter Snake

The aquatic garter snake, Thamnophis atratus, is a harmless snake species found in California and Oregon. The appearance of the ...
Thamnophis Elegans - Western Terrestrial Garter Snake information

Thamnophis Elegans – Western Terrestrial Garter Snake

The western terrestrial garter snake is a harmless snake species that can be found throughout the Western United States. Its ...
Thamnophis Ordinoides - Northwestern Garter Snake dark brown snake with longitudinal stripes orange and yellow. Found in Oregon, washington and california

Thamnophis Ordinoides – Northwestern Garter Snake

The northwestern garter snake is one of the smaller species of the harmless garter snakes. It is found in the ...
Thamnophis Sirtalis - Common Garter Snake information and subspecies overview

Thamnophis Sirtalis – Common Garter Snake

The common garter snake is the best-known and most widespread species among the garter snakes. It can be found throughout ...
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