Because of its diverse geography, Mississippi has a wide range of types of snakes.
The different types of snakes in Mississippi play a significant role in ecology in every region of the state where they are widespread.
Snakes are excellent at removing pests, yet people frequently misinterpret them because of their appearance.
However, preserving healthy snake populations is crucial to preserving Mississippi’s environment.
Since six different species of snakes in Mississippi are poisonous, it is advisable to exercise caution whenever you observe any of the types of snakes in Mississippi until you are certain of its kind.
Let’s get started on the list of different types of snakes in Mississippi
1. Ribbon Snake
In Mississippi, ribbon snakes (Thamnophis saurita) are frequently seen as garter snakes.
These types of snakes in Mississippi can reach a length of 89 centimeters. They are dark brown and feature bands of yellow.
Men are thinner than women. They frequently occur in moist environments, including streams, marshes, ponds, and lakes.
From April to October, they are quite active, and from November through March, they hibernate.
They frequently inhabit areas with dense foliage and water. To capture their prey, they swim.
2. Midwest Worm Snake
The Midwest worm snake is also a type of snake in Mississippi. Because they are so small, they may initially go unnoticed.
Most are only a few inches long and rarely grow longer than a foot.
These types of snakes in Mississippi often have a pink or reddish belly and are dull gray.
They may exist in the rocky areas next to meadows but prefer the wooded areas next to streams and lakes.
These tiny snakes pose no threat to people. They like to hide and delve beneath the ground in search of earthworms and other prey.
If you see one, it will probably go as swiftly as possible.
3. Northern Scarlet Snake
The wide bands of red scales on the northern scarlet snake’s back simplify identification.
There are narrow stripes of black and yellow around each wide red band on either side.
The belly of the northern scarlet snake is pink or light red, but you won’t likely have a chance to see it.
Although they can be found in trash heaps, beneath rocks, under dirt mounds, under mulch, and other places where they might hide, these types of snakes in Mississippi prefer to burrow into soft sandy soil.
In a suburban location, you might encounter this snake in your garden or near your garage because it prefers sandy soil, but don’t be alarmed—they are not poisonous.
4. Black Kingsnake
Don’t be alarmed if you see a black kingsnake; they are menacing.
Black kingsnakes are terrifying due to their dark black scales and broad bodies. However, they can be very useful.
They are unaffected by the poison of rattlesnakes and other venomous snakes, and they feed vermin and mice.
These types of snakes in Mississippi frequently feed on poisonous snakes, helping to keep you safe from those snakes.
Black kingsnakes frequently grow only to be five feet long, but they have large, heavyset bodies because they kill prey through constriction.
5. Smooth Earthsnake
Virginia valerian, a non-venomous snake, can be brown, deep brown, or light brown.
The first row of scales has color, typically pale grey, pink, or fawn. There are black dots on the brown top of the head.
The eyes have a little black ring around them. Some people have a thin median line.
The maximum length of this little snake is about 25 centimeters.
Humans rarely see these snakes in Mississippi and spend their time hidden in loose dirt or leaf litter. They are extremely submissive and covert.
6. Scarlet Snake
The Colubridae family includes the non-venomous Scarlet Snake (Cemophora coccinea), which may reach a length of sixty-six centimeters.
They have white, red, or yellow patches with black borders on the back.
The belly is a consistent light grey or white color. The back patches may extend to the sides and resemble banding.
This snake is a stealthy nocturnal species. In the summer, you can run into it during the day.
They are frequently discovered behind logs, organic matter, or pine waste.
7. Mississippi Green Watersnake
The Mississippi Green Watersnake (Nerodia cyclopion) has many tiny scales under each eye, creating the appearance of a ring of small plates.
It is a non-venomous snake. This olive, brown, or deep green snake has a bulky body.
The front of the belly is yellow, while the remaining portion is dark brown with a white or yellow semicircular pattern. They can get as long as 140 centimeters.
These types of snakes can be found in ponds, bayous, lakes, slow-moving streams, swamps, and marshes in Mississippi. They occasionally appear in brackish water.
8. Pine Snake
Pituophis melanoleucus is a big, non-venomous snake that can grow to a length of 230 centimeters.
They have sharp snouts and short heads and are strong. The color pattern consists of black, red-brown, or brown patterns on a light ground color.
They are widespread in cultivated fields, stony deserts, grasslands, sandy pine-oak forests, and pine flatwoods.
They need sandy soil that drains well and has some flora for nesting and hibernation.
Although bites from these types of snakes in Mississippi are rare, they are known to be quite aggressive and will strike when provoked.
They hiss loudly, strike, and vibrate the tail when you go close to them.
Despite not being venomous, they can nonetheless cause severe agony when bitten.
9. Glossy Swamp Snake
The semi-aquatic Glossy Swamp Snake (Liodytes rigida) is also known as the Crayfish Snake.
This little snake has a hefty body and can reach a length of 41 centimeters.
They have two irregularly spaced black stripes on an olive-brown background.
They have a yellow belly with black dots and a yellow upper lip.
They are frequently found in the southern Mississippi’s slow-moving bogs, ditches, marshes, and streams.
10. Eastern Worm Snake
One frequently encounters the Eastern Worm Snake (Carphophis amoenus) in wetlands and wooded areas.
It might be present in the woodlands’ bordering grasslands. In Mississippi, they are common but extremely infrequently seen.
These types of snakes in Mississippi hide beneath logs, rocks, leaf litter, or woody debris.
Although they could smell bad, they are safe to handle and cannot bite. This little snake has a smooth, shiny body and only reaches a length of 28 centimeters.
They vary in color from dark to light brown with a red belly and have no distinguishing pattern.
Compared to the male, the female is lengthier. Their eyes are shrunken and black, with little heads.
11. Rough Green Snake
Opheodrys, sometimes called the green grass snake, is one of the non-venomous types of snakes in Mississippi.
They are calm and won’t bite if you get close to them. If they bite, it won’t hurt you because the bites have no venom.
The belly of this vivid green snake is yellow. Its coloring makes it difficult to spot because it blends in with the surrounding greenery.
They can reach a total length of 116 centimeters and have keeled dorsal scales.
This calm, non-venomous snake may be seen in meadows and forests. They are great climbers and are seldom far from water.
They can also swim well. During the day, they are busy and coil up in trees at night.
12. Broad-banded Water Snake
The aquatic, non-venomous Broad-banded Water Snake (Nerodia confluens) can reach a length of 107 cm.
They have a maximum weight of 464 grams as adults. This snake can have dark crossbands and be gray, brown, or green-gray.
Some of these types of snakes in Mississippi are so black that their design is hardly discernible.
White or off-white describes the belly. The body is heavy, and the head is flat.
From the eye to the mouth, there is a dark line on them. When threatened, they emit a bad odor.
Due to their frequent occurrence in the same habitat, they are frequently mistaken for the poisonous cottonmouth.
13. Dekay’s Brown Snake
The brown snake, commonly known as the Dekay’s Brown snake (Storeria dekayi), is a small, entirely non-venomous snake that only reaches 30 centimeters in length.
This snake is brown or grey and has a black spotted center stripe.
They can be found in various settings, including riparian woods, residential areas, and wet meadows.
They pick locations with a lot of organic matter and moisture.
The brown snake rarely bites. When threatened, it often flattens its body, making itself appear larger and more aggressive.
If you attempt to handle them, these snakes in Mississippi will cause you a terrible odor.
14. Gulf Salt Marsh Snake
This snake is primarily found around the Gulf of Mexico and in other salt marshes or swampy environments, as you could have inferred from its name. It occasionally also dwells on barrier islands.
These unusual types of snakes in Mississippi are typically about one to one and a half feet long.
Still, they have four remarkable black stripes running across their base color of a very peculiar gray.
Most of the time, Gulf salt marsh snakes will avoid people and pose no harm. But if you try to handle one, it can bite or strike you.
15. Corn Snake
Corn snakes are sometimes considered exotic pets because they are manageable and have lovely patterns.
The corn snake is a native of the southeastern United States. It frequently inhabits open fields, towering trees, forest clearings, and vacant or abandoned structures.
The corn snake’s brilliant orange and red markings are supposed to have been inspired by maize. Perhaps it received its name because it is frequently seen close to grain merchants.
Rat and corn snakes control the vermin population while consuming amphibians, birds, and other reptiles as prey.
Corn snakes are commonly maintained as exotic pets because they are simple to handle and have a variety of eye-catching skin patterns despite being safe for people.
An adult type of snake in Mississippi can be between four and six feet long and one inch in diameter.
16. Southern Copperhead
The Southern Copperhead prefers to conceal itself close to big boulders, among brush piles, or at the base of trees.
You might overlook the Southern Copperhead until you are quite close to it because of the distinctive color patterns that this snake has developed to help it stay hidden.
These types of snakes in Mississippi have a lot of poison. They prefer running to fighting, but if you catch them off guard or get too close, they could feel intimidated and attack.
If you see one of these snakes, remain calm and avoid making quick movements.
As an alternative, advance gently and raise yourself until you are out of the snake’s striking distance.
Most of the time, they will crawl away when you give them some room. Mississippi is home to Southern Coppherheads, except for a small area of the Gulf Coast.
17. Cottonmouth Snake
Both types of snakes in Mississippi are poisonous despite having different colorations and being members of the same family.
They are typically found in salt marshes, swamps, and other low-lying wet areas and are primarily aquatic.
While most of the state’s cottonmouths feature dark brown waves, those from the Gulf Coast can be even darker.
Although cottonmouths have white mouths, they have black bars or scales under them.
Be exceedingly cautious if you spot any snakes that could be Cottonmouths when you are out and about in Mississippi. Cottonmouths have strong venom and can be fatal.
When frightened, cottonmouth snakes reveal their white mouth, frequently giving people time to flee the area before the snake strikes them.
18. Eastern Coral Snake
The body of the eastern coral snake is covered in strikingly colorful stripes, and its venom is well recognized for its effectiveness.
Despite being smaller than larger snakes like rattlesnakes, these snakes are just as poisonous.
Unfortunately, due to their similar vividly colored stripes, coral snakes and kingsnakes are frequently confused.
However, unlike kingsnakes, these snakes in Mississippi typically lack the black borders around their scaly markings.
The eastern coral snake can be found there since Mississippi has sandy ridges and stream bottoms. It prefers to live on sandy soil.
Given that this snake’s colors make it difficult to overlook, allow it plenty of room and try to stay out of its path if you notice one.
These snakes tend to stay in the lower third of Mississippi, so you won’t find them if you’re in the northern part of the state.
19. Pygmy Rattlesnake
The body of a western pygmy rattlesnake is normally grey with blotches of black or yellow color.
It has a broad, hefty body like other rattlesnakes do.
Unlike other rattlesnakes, however, the western pygmy is typically under two feet long and can grow to barely one foot long.
These types of snakes in Mississippi are often timid and non-aggressive.
The best course of action is to avoid rattling or lifting its head and puffing out since any snake can become violent if it feels threatened.
Although these snakes are typically not found close to the Mississippi River, they have been spotted in every other part of the state.
20. Timber Rattlesnake
The timber rattlesnake is next on our list of snakes in Mississippi. Pygmy rattlesnakes are 2–3 times smaller than timber rattlesnakes.
Most of Mississippi is home to them; however, the Gulf Coast does not typically have them.
These snakes are less aggressive than other venomous snakes in Mississippi, and their populations aren’t quite as large as they once were.
Rattlesnakes in the woods generally offer little threat if you stay away from them.
21. Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
The eastern diamondback is the biggest rattlesnake in North America, not simply the biggest poisonous type of snake in Mississippi.
Snakes can be found from Louisiana to North Carolina but are rarely more than 100 miles from any beach.
The snakes can be found in Mississippi up to places like Brookhaven or Laurel, but not much farther north.
Although they blend nicely with their surroundings, these snakes usually make themselves known before attacking.
Due to habitat destruction and poaching, they are becoming an increasingly rare sight, much like the timber rattlesnake.
22. Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake
Pit vipers known as Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnakes (Sistrurus miliarius barbouri) are ending our list of types of snakes in Mississippi, which can reach lengths of 76 centimeters. They have a white belly and circular dorsal markings.
Even with care, the pain from a bite from one of these poisonous snakes can last up to twenty-four hours.
The venom of this snake might cause blood clots. For its size, this little snake is thick. Its body can be either light grey or dark grey.
Charcoal patches break up the brown-red line through the middle of the back. The tail is thin and has a tiny rattling.
