On this page, you can find an overview of snakes in Rhode Island. If you are a Rhode Island resident looking to identify a snake that you encountered, here is the good news first: there are no venomous snakes in Rhode Island. Historically, small populations of the timber rattlesnake were found in Rhode Island. But the snake has been declared extirpated in Rhode Island over 50 years ago and no sightings have occured since.
Every year, there are various reports of alleged sightings of the venomous water moccasin (or cottonmouth) snake in Rhode Island. However, the cottonmouth snake is only found as far north as Virginia and these sightings are exclusively sightings of the harmless and non-venomous similar-looking Northern water snake.
If you have encountered a snake in Rhode Island 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 non-venomous snakes in Rhode Island
There are 12 snake species in Rhode Island and all of them are nonvenomous. The most common snakes are common garter snakes and milk snakes. Just click on any of the images or links below to learn more about each Rhode Island snake.
Thamnophis Sauritus – Ribbon Snake
Heterodon Platirhinos – Eastern Hognose Snake
Lampropeltis Triangulum – Milk Snake
Opheodrys Vernalis – Smooth Green Snake
Pantherophis Alleghaniensis – Eastern Rat Snake
Nerodia Sipedon – Common Watersnake
Storeria Occipitomaculata – Redbelly Snake
Diadophis Punctatus – Ring-Necked Snake
Carphophis Amoenus – Worm Snake
Storeria Dekayi – Brown Snake
Thamnophis Sirtalis – Common Garter Snake
