COMMON Rough Green Snake and Smooth Green Eastern Milk Snake and Red Milk Snake boards, logs and debris. This snake’s reputation for kill- Snake This snake’s taste for mice makes it a “V” ing and devouring venomous snakes is well known. pattern Both species are green above with white, common visitor in barns. Hence, the myth yellow or pale green bellies. The rough developed that it drinks cow’s milk. What If I Get Bitten? green snake has keeled scales that give Avoid bites by watching snakes in their natural habitat Snakes it a rough texture. This snake, listed as It is so well camouflaged by instead of picking them up. Look closely before step- of INDIANA STATE PARKS a species of special concern in Indiana, its pattern of black-rimmed ping when hiking trails or fishing along lake edges. If EASTERN spends most of its time in trees, feeding ROUGH rusty-red blotches on a back- bitten: on crickets, grasshoppers, butterfly/moth SMOOTH ground of light gray that it is • Keep calm. Most snakes are not venomous. Make larvae and spiders. often missed. A light “Y” or “V” on the back note of the markings, color, behavior and habitat of RED of the neck may be present. The belly is the snake. The smooth green snake has smooth scales. It rarely an irregular checkerboard of black on white. At • Clean the bite area thoroughly with soap and water climbs and is generally smaller than the rough green night, it hunts small rodents and lizards, constricting as soon as possible. snake. It is only found in three small areas of the them in its coils to suffocate them before swallowing • If you think the snake was venomous, or if you are state. It is listed as endangered. them. This harmless snake is often mistaken for the unsure, call or have a friend call 911 and contact rustier red, elliptical-eyed, wider-headed Northern cop- property staff. Walk—don’t run—when moving, Eastern Hognose Snake perhead. The red milk snake is larger, brighter red and and keep the bitten part of your body higher than This snake of open, has a white or yellow “collar.” your heart to help reduce swelling. sandy areas is rec- ognized by its up- Black Rat Snake Protection for Indiana’s Snakes turned nose, wide This snake, often referred to as “pilot black Indiana’s snakes, turtles, lizards, salamanders, toads head and thick body. snake” or “chicken snake”, is a good climber. frogs and their eggs are protected by a law that pre- It may be solid black, gray, yellow-green or orange Its shed skins are often found in attics and vents collection of any nongame reptiles or amphibians with dark blotches and spots on its back and sides. forks of trees. This constrictor feeds on mice without a valid fishing or hunting license. Even with a and bird eggs and is usually a welcome resi- valid license, collecting is restricted to four individuals Often called the puff adder, spreading dent in farmers’ barns and outbuildings. Al- from a defined list of species. Collecting is not permitted adder or blow viper, this non-venomous though black rat snakes can and will bite when cornered, on state park properties, even with a valid license. Pro- snake will flatten its head and neck like a they are not usually aggressive. Black rat snakes re- tect Indiana’s reptiles and amphibians—leave turtles, cobra’s hood, inflate its body and make semble black racers but are loaf-shaped instead of round. snakes, lizards, salamanders toads and frogs in their a striking motion if threatened. It may The belly is usually white or a black-and-white checker- native habitats where they can remain healthy and wild. roll over on its back and play dead with its board pattern. The area between scales is light-colored. A mouth open and its tongue hanging out. It will remain pattern of blotches on the back is common. For more information about these laws, contact the that way, limp and lifeless, even if picked up. It feeds DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife. almost exclusively on toads. Fox Snake This snake of marshes and wet places has For more information and color pictures to aid in snake Southern Black Racer and Blue Racer bold blotches, a grayish or brownish-yellow identification, get a copy of Sherman Minton’s Amphib- Eastern Milk Snake Racers feast on a diet of large insects, frogs, BLUE body and a dull orange/reddish head and tail. ians & Reptiles of Indiana (ISBN 1-883362-10-5) or go lizards, snakes, small rodents and birds. It vibrates its tail if cornered, but rarely bites. online to: Both species typically have white on the MIXED Because of its appearance and behavior it www.hoosierherpsoc.org/IDsnake.html chin and throat. The black racer is slender BLACK can be easily misidentified as a venomous or and satiny black above and satiny gray Massasauga rattlesnake. www.INherpatlas.org below with a brown or dark amber iris of the eye. The blue racer may show varying shades of Black Kingsnake gunmetal gray or blue above and below with a darker This glossy black snake has speckles of The mission of the Interpretive Services is to provide in- head and eye area. Racers move fast and some- white and cream that may be less apparent formation and offer interpretive experiences with Indiana’s times appear to “chase” people. In fact, this behavior in older snakes. It lives on streambanks and natural and cultural resources to visitors, staff and a di- Indiana Deptartment of Natural Resources is often associated with courtship and may be used to in moist meadows, where it feeds on other verse public. drive an intruder out of a territory. snakes, turtle eggs, mice and voles. It is Division of State Parks generally secretive and can be found under Reptile artwork by Amelia Hansen interpretiveservices.IN.gov 9/2017 It’s a Snake! old outbuildings and barns. Its venom kills prey and grabs unsuspecting beside creeks. You turn over a rock in the creek, looking for fossils, breaks down tissues for digestion. Young copper- frogs, salamanders, Look for brown and suddenly—it’s a snake! You may see snakes in heads eat a lot of caterpillars. Adults feed tadpoles or fish with checks on a green- our campgrounds, sunning on logs, swimming in our mostly on amphibians and mammals. The its teeth and swal- ish-brown back, lakes and marshes, and even dangling on the end of bite reflex remains active up to an hour lows them whole. This round eyes and a fishing line. Are they venomous? Will they bite? This or more after a Northern copperhead’s nonvenomous snake is red, forked, black- brochure answers your questions about our com- death. The bite of this snake is extremely often mis- tipped tongue. mon snakes. Not all Indiana snakes are listed here, painful but rarely life threatening. NORTHERN taken for Each individual and not all snakes listed here are found on every a Northern seems to have a state park property. Habitat, climate and people af- Timber Rattlesnake copperhead or water moccasin because personality that extends even to prefer- fect where snakes can be found. Species ranges are The timber rattlesnake is MIDLAND of the patterned, dark brown and tan ences in food. This snake flicks its tongue shaded on accompanying maps. endangered in Indiana. In- crossbands on the neck and front. If in and out and watches for the motion of Jacobson’s diana’s largest venomous caught, it may thrash and bite. It can hold its earthworms, insects, minnows, tadpoles, Cool Stuff! Organ snake lives on dry forested breath underwater for almost 15 minutes at a time. frogs, salamanders, birds and small mam- 1. Snakes don’t have ears. hillsides and hibernates in mals. Prey is grabbed with the teeth and They feel vibrations through dens. Colors and patterns Queen Snake swallowed whole. the bones in their lower jaw. vary from almost black to This harmless snake has a dull olive- 2. Snakes use their tongues and yellow with a dark chevron brown body with three light dorso/lateral Ribbon Snake a special structure in the roof of the pattern. The distinctive head shape and stripes and a yellow belly with 4 distinct This slim relative of the garter snake has a mouth called the Jacobson’s organ to “taste” what rattle at the end of the tail are character- brown stripes running the length of its dark slender body with three bright yellow is around them. istic. A new rattle segment is added when body. It feeds almost entirely on soft-bod- stripes. The middle stripe is sometimes 3. Most snakes have 6 rows of teeth: 2 on top, 2 on the snake sheds its skin a few times a year. ied crayfish that have shed their shells. Its picky eat- orange or greenish. It stays close to bottom and 2 in the roof of the mouth. ing habits make it difficult to keep in captivity. streams and marshes where it feeds on 4. There are 2,100 species worldwide, 115 species in Massasauga Rattlesnake fish and frogs; it rarely eats earthworms. North America and more than 30 species in Indiana. The massasauga is a small endangered Kirtland’s Snake Two almost indistinguishable species of ribbon snakes pit viper found only in northern Indiana in This endangered snake, found primarily in are found in Indiana. Setting the Record Straight About Indiana’s Venomous marshy, swampy areas and bogs. It may be the Midwest, has a reddish belly and a vis- Snakes found in woodlands and old fields on occa- ible row of round black spots down each Northern Ringneck Snake Only four Indiana snakes are venomous. All are pit sion. It is spotted with dark black or brown side. It feeds on earthworms and slugs in This slender snake hides beneath logs vipers, which means they have heat-sensing pits near blotches on the back and 3 rows of small, wet meadows and swamp forests. It flat- or rotting bark while hunting earthworms, the eyes to help them locate their warm-blooded prey. dark spots on either side. This “swamp rattler,” which tens its body into a ribbonlike position if slugs, salamanders and lizards. It has a feeds on frogs and small mammals, is generally mild alarmed. slate-gray back, yellow belly and unmis- Northern Copperhead mannered and rarely strikes unless stepped on. takable yellow ring around the The Northern copperhead is Indiana’s most common Midland (Dekay’s) Brown Snake neck. If caught, it will twist, venomous snake. Its coloring includes a coppery-or- It’s a Water Moccasin! I know it is! This reptile is often mistaken for a young squirm and release a foul-smelling ange, tan or brown head and an hour- Copperhead Well, probably not—not in Indiana. The “cottonmouth” garter snake. It has two parallel rows of liquid that is a combination of glass pattern of reddish brown bands banding pattern is a distinctly Southern species. One small population black spots down musk, feces and urine. The on its body. It is sometimes confused back was known in the south-central portion of the state. the back and a Northern ringneck snake with the midland water snake. It is most likely extirpated from the state. The water brown body. The rarely bites. side moccasin is recognized by the distinctive white mouth young have a light band on the The bands of the copperhead are lining that it displays when annoyed. The color pat- neck like the Northern ringneck snake, (see Midwest Worm Snake narrow along the back and wide on terns of juvenile individuals are easily confused with next column) but brown snakes have rough This snake version of the earthworm is either side. Banding on the water those of the Northern or midland water snake. scales. This snake is common in marshes and brown above and has a pink belly and sides. snake is saddlelike; wide on the wide moist woods. It is secretive and seldom seen, spending back and narrow on the side. band Northern Water Snake and Midland Water Snake most of its time under stones, boards and This common reptile of streams, ponds and lakes Eastern Garter Snake logs where the ground is moist. It feeds on This nocturnal reptile lives in dry, suns itself on rocky banks and fallen branches. It Sometimes mistakenly called the “garden” or “gar- soft-bodied insects and earthworms. rocky areas, but can be found in dener” snake, it is seen along trails, in meadows and