List of snakes of South Dakota
Encyclopedia
| Common name Common name A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism... |
Scientific name Binomial nomenclature Binomial nomenclature is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages... |
Distribution (within South Dakota) | Description | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown snake Storeria dekayi Storeria dekayi, commonly known as the brown snake or De Kay's snake, is a small species of colubrid snake.-Geographic range:... |
Storeria dekayi | eastern Roberts County Roberts County, South Dakota As of the census of 2000, there were 10,016 people, 3,683 households, and 2,618 families residing in the county. The population density was 9 people per square mile . There were 4,734 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile... (status in question; last formal reported sighting in 1922) |
8 - 15 inches in length, greyish-brown to reddish-brown colouration Animal colouration Animal coloration is the general appearance of an animal resulting from the reflection or emission of light from its surfaces. The mechanisms for colour production in animals include pigments, chromatophores, structural coloration, and bioluminescence.... , with light stripe down the center of the back (bordered by parallel row of dark spots), and dark markings under and/or behind each eye |
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| Bullsnake Pituophis catenifer Pituophis catenifer is a harmless colubrid species found in North America. Six subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here. The specific name catenifer is Latin for 'chain bearing', referring to the dorsal color pattern.-Description:Adults specimens are... |
Pituophis catenifer | All portions of the state west of the Missouri river Missouri River The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great... , all counties adjacent to the east bank Bank (geography) A geographic bank has four definitions and applications:# Limnology: The shoreline of a pond, swamp, estuary, reservoir, or lake. The grade can vary from vertical to a shallow slope.... of the Missouri river, and across southeastern & central South Dakota |
36 - 72 inches in length, yellowish colouration (with brown or black blotches that appear as rings near the tail) |  |
| Common garter snake (sometimes called the "red-sided garter snake") | Thamnophis sirtalis | throughout the state | 15 - 28 inches in length, bright yellow or orange stripe along middle of the back, yellow or orange stripe along each side, with black spots on red colouration also along both sides | |
| Eastern hognose snake | Heterodon platirhinos | extreme southeastern fringe of the state | 20 - 33 inches in length, slightly upturned snout (as compared to the Plains hognose snake), highly variable in colouration (with dark blotches along center, and alternating spots on each side) |  |
| Fox snake (more precisely termed the "western fox snake") | Elaphe vulpina | far southeastern South Dakota | 36 - 54 inches in length, yellowish to light brown in colouration (with bold blotches) | |
| Lined snake Tropidoclonion Tropidoclonion is a genus of small colubrid snakes known as lined snakes. There is a single species Tropidoclonion lineatum in the genus, with four subspecies.- Subspecies :... |
Tropidoclonion | far southeastern South Dakota | 9 - 15 inches in length, grey or brown in colouration (with three pale stripes; one along the back, and one each along either side) | |
| Milk snake ("pale" subspecies) | Lampropeltis triangulum multistrata (a variety of "kingsnake Kingsnake Kingsnakes are a type of colubrid snake that are members of the Lampropeltis genus, which also includes the milk snake along with another four species and 45 sub-species.... ") |
the pale milk snake subspecies Subspecies Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one... is found throughout that portion of the state west of the Missouri river, as well as in counties adjacent to the river's east bank |
16 - 28 inches in length, red and orange blotches bordered with black, and separated by yellow or white bands (head is orange with black flecks) | |
| Milk snake ("red" subspecies) | Lampropeltis triangulum syspila (a variety of "kingsnake") | the red milk snake subspecies is found in far southeastern South Dakota | 16 - 28 inches in length, red and orange blotches bordered with black, and separated by yellow or white bands (with red head & snout) |  |
| Plains garter snake | Thamnophis radix | throughout the state | 20 - 28 inches in length, bright yellow or orange stripe along middle of the back, with yellow or orange stripe & alternating row of dark spots along each side, with dark head |  |
| Plains hognose snake Heterodon nasicus Heterodon nasicus is a harmless colubrid species found in North America and northern Mexico. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the typical form described here.-Description:... |
Heterodon nasicus | throughout the state | 15 - 25 inches in length, sharply upturned snout (as compared to the eastern hognose snake), dark blotches along center and sides of body, blackish underside |  |
| Prairie rattlesnake Crotalus viridis Crotalus viridis is a venomous pitviper species native to the western United States, southwestern Canada, and northern Mexico. Currently, nine subspecies are recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.-Description:... |
Crotalus viridis | throughout that portion of the state west of the Missouri river, as well as in counties adjacent to the river's east bank | 30 - 45 inches in length, South Dakota's only venomous snake Venomous snake "Poisonous snake" redirects here. For true poisonous snakes, see Rhabdophis.Venomous snakes are snakes which have venom glands and specialized teeth for the injection of venom... (bite is potentially fatal to humans), readily identifiable by rattle segment(s) at the end of the tail, light brown to greenish in colouration, triangular-shaped head with pits located below the midline of each eye & nostril |
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| Racer Coluber constrictor foxii The Blue Racer is a subspecies of Coluber constrictor which is a species of nonvenomous, colubrid snakes commonly referred to as the eastern racers. Eastern racers are primarily found throughout the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains, but they range north into Canada, and south into... (sometimes called the "blue racer") |
Coluber constrictor foxii | throughout that portion of the state west of the Missouri river, as well as in counties adjacent to the river's east bank | 30 - 50 inches in length, adults are blue to greenish in colouration (with a bright yellow belly), while juveniles have an ornate blotched, spotted, and speckled pattern | |
| Redbelly snake Storeria occipitomaculata The redbelly snake is a species of snake found in North America. The following subspecies are known:*Florida redbelly snake - Storeria occipitomaculata obscura Trapido, 1944... ("Black Hills" subspecies) |
Storeria occipitomaculata pahasapae | the Black Hills redbelly snake subspecies is found within the Black Hills Black Hills The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of... of South Dakota |
8 - 11 inches in length, slender body with grey, brown, or reddish-brown colouration, with a white chin, red belly, light spots on neck, & faint light stripe(s) along the back | |
| Redbelly snake Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata The Northern redbelly snake is a nonvenomous snake in the Colubridae family, a subspecies of Storeria occipitomaculata.-Geographic range:... ("northern" subspecies) |
Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata | the northern redbelly snake subspecies is found in extreme eastern South Dakota | 8 - 11 inches in length, slender body with grey, brown, or reddish-brown colouration, with a white chin, red belly, light spots on neck, & faint light stripe(s) along the back | |
| Ringneck snake Diadophis punctatus The ringneck snake or ring-necked snake is a colubrid snake species. It is found throughout much of the United States, central Mexico, and south eastern Canada. Ring-necked snakes are secretive, nocturnal snakes that are rarely seen during the day time... |
Diadophis punctatus | far southeastern South Dakota | 10 - 15 inches in length, dark (black or grey) upper body, a yellow or orange belly (with black spots), and a bright yellow or yellow-orange ring around the neck | |
| Smooth green snake | Liochlorophis vernalis | non-contiguous regions of far northeastern and far southeastern South Dakota, plus a third pocket in the Black Hills | 14 - 20 inches in length, small and slender, with uniformly green upper body, head, and tail (and a whitish belly) |  |
| Wandering garter snake | Thamnophis elegans vagrans | the Black Hills | 18 - 30 inches in length, dull brown to greenish in colouration, yellow or orange mid-dorsal stripe on each side, a brown head (with yellow spots) and black bars on the lips | |
| Water snake (sometimes called the "northern water snake") | Nerodia sipedon | southern riverine and wetland Wetland A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions.... areas of Bon Homme County Bon Homme County, South Dakota As of the census of 2000, there were 7,260 people, 2,635 households, and 1,786 families residing in the county. The population density was 13 people per square mile . There were 3,007 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile... (near Springfield Springfield, South Dakota Springfield is a city in Bon Homme County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1092 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Springfield is located at .... ) |
24 - 42 inches in length, dark brown to grey in colouration, dark upper bands on front part of body, alternating dark blotches or crossbands on the rear portion of the upper body (juveniles are lighter in color) |  |