Free · No sign-up · 38 US species

What snake is this? Narrow it down in about a minute.

Start with your state. Most states have only one or two venomous species, and a few have none at all — so location alone usually removes the frightening possibilities before you have described anything. Then add whatever you remember: the markings, the size, where it was, what it did.

Identify this snake Browse snakes by state

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Every US state
Venomous species listed first
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Before anything else

Back away and leave it alone. A snake that can see you leaving has no reason to bite. Most bites in the United States happen to people who picked up, cornered, or tried to kill a snake.
Never handle a snake to identify it. Every identification on this site can be made from a photo or from several feet away.
If someone is bitten, call emergency services now. Keep the limb still and below the heart, remove rings and watches, and go to hospital. Do not cut, suck, apply ice, or use a tourniquet — all of these make outcomes worse.
Do not try to catch the snake for identification. A photo from a distance is enough, and hospitals treat symptoms rather than species.

In the US, the Poison Help line is 1-800-222-1222. This site is a reference, not medical advice.

1.Which state are you in?

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The most powerful question here. Most states have only one or two venomous species, and several have none at all.

2.What were the markings like?

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Judge this from the back of the snake. Whether the pattern continues onto the belly is the single most useful thing to notice with a ringed snake.

3.How big was it?

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People consistently overestimate snake length, so this only narrows things roughly — neighbouring sizes stay on the list.

4.Where did you see it?

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Habitat rules out a surprising amount. A snake several feet up a tree is very unlikely to be a pit viper.

5.Did it do any of these?

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Behaviour is often more reliable than colour. Pick everything you actually saw — not what you think it might have done.

6.What colour was it?

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Deliberately last, and it never removes anything from the list. Snakes look completely different when wet, shedding, or seen in shade.

38 possibilities

Answer any question to begin

15 venomous species are still on this list

The four mix-ups that matter

Between them these account for most wrong identifications — and most needlessly killed harmless snakes.

Snakes in your state

Which species live near you, which of them are venomous, and what to expect.

Which colours touch — the band-order check

This holds for the three coral snakes native to the United States and nowhere else. It does not apply in Central or South America, where several deadly coral snakes break the pattern outright, and it does not apply to a snake you have only half seen. Treat it as a way to calm down about a kingsnake in your garden, never as clearance to handle anything.

Questions people ask

How can I tell if a snake is venomous?

There is no single rule that works. Triangular heads and slit pupils are unreliable, because many harmless snakes flatten their heads when frightened and coral snakes have round pupils. The dependable method is to work out which species live in your state — there are only 15 venomous species covered here, and most states have one or two — and then match the pattern and habitat.

The venomous check →

Is a triangular head a reliable sign of a venomous snake?

No. Water snakes, hognose snakes, gopher snakes and ratsnakes all flatten their heads into a triangle when threatened, and they are all harmless. Coral snakes are highly venomous and have narrow heads no wider than their necks.

What should I do if I find a snake in my yard?

Leave it alone and give it room to leave. Keep pets and children indoors until it moves on. Do not try to catch, move or kill it — most snakebites in the United States happen to people who were handling or attacking a snake.

What to do about it →

Is there an app that identifies snakes from a photo?

Yes — Reptile Identifier AI, and this site is its free web companion. Use them for different moments. If the snake is in front of you and you need an answer now, the questions here work from what you can see at a distance without getting closer. If you already have a photograph, the app reads it directly and works offline where there is no signal.

Is this free, and do I need an account?

The key, every snake page and every state page are free with no sign-up and no email. Nothing you select is sent to a server. The app is a free download and does the part a website cannot: reading a photograph, in the field, without a connection.

Can an app reliably tell me whether a snake is venomous?

Not reliably enough to act on alone, and anyone claiming otherwise is overselling. Photo identification struggles with the exact cases that matter — partial views, juveniles, and the mimics that look like the dangerous species. Use the range check first: most of the continental US has a small, knowable set of venomous species, and knowing which four or five are possible where you are eliminates far more than a photograph does.

Venomous species by state →