There are naturally occurring types of snakes in Wyoming, two of which are poisonous.
The Prairie Rattlesnake and the Midget Faded Rattlesnake are those two species, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.
According to the Animal Damage Management Board Rules, all snakes may be imported into Wyoming except those classified as hazardous species by federal law.
Although the Wyoming Game and Fish Department does not have much to say on regulations regarding these types of snakes in Wyoming, it is prohibited to kill Faded Midget Rattlesnakes because the state protects them.
But since the common prairie rattler is so easy to come across, it is entirely lawful to take the life of this venomous snake.
1. Racer Snake
Racer snakes are one of the types of snakes in Wyoming. Unless it is specifically stated that they are permitted without a permit, you usually need a permit to keep live wildlife as a pet.
North American Racer with a yellow belt (Coluber constrictor flaviventris).
Racer snakes are divided into various subspecies according to their color or geographic origin. They come in various colors, including pinkish-red, blue, green, or even black.
The yellow-bellied racer (Coluber constrictor flaviventris) is the most frequent species in Wyoming.
The racers are venomous snakes that move quickly. They can be found on roadsides, wetlands, bushes, rubbish piles, and areas near water.
Depending on the subspecies, adult racers can range in length from 20 to 60 inches. The average adult weighs approximately 556 g, or 1.226 lb, with minimal variation in size between males and females.
Most of their diet comprises rodents, smaller animals, frogs, lizards, and snakes. Certain subspecies have been seen to scale trees to obtain eggs and young birds.
Contrary to the part of their species name that refers to them as constrictors, these types of snakes in Wyoming actually subdue struggling prey by pinning it physically to keep it in place rather than suffocating it.
2. Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer Snake
Eastern yellow-bellied racer snakes are also on our list of types of snakes in Wyoming.
A huge and colorful Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer snake (Coluber constrictor flaviventris) curled defensively with a sizable meal in its belly.
With a sizable meal in its tummy, a huge, colorful Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer snake coils defensively.
4. Red-Sided Garter Snake
Among the various varieties of garter snakes is the red-sided garter snake. However, this specific snake is not common. The red-sided garter snake is found exclusively in eastern Wyoming and California.
With vibrant red stripes down the middle of the back and on the side, this garter snake has an eye-catching tan or olive base color.
These types of snakes in Wyoming’s belly typically also have a few red and black squares. The stripes may occasionally be blue or yellow.
Typically, the red-sided garter snake reaches a maximum length of three feet. The red-sided garter snake is found exclusively in eastern Wyoming and California.
5. The Smooth Green Snake
Although they can thrive in various settings, smooth green snakes prefer moist, grassy wooded habitats.
They are widespread in Wyoming and many other states, partly due to this cause. The vivid green color of these snakes aids in their ability to blend in with the forest’s foliage.
Usually measuring just over a foot in length, they are not very big. They are known as smooth green snakes because of their scales’ even, smooth texture.
Another kind of snake is known as a rough green snake, and it has scales that give it a textured appearance. A smooth green snake is one that is vivid green and has a glass-like sheen.
Although they can thrive in various settings, these types of snakes in Wyoming prefer moist, grassy wooded habitats. They are widespread in Wyoming for this reason, among others.
6. The Pale Milk Snake
Pale Milksnakes are highly reticent and mostly nocturnal. This species tends to hide behind cover throughout the day.
Milk Snakes are typically seen in the open during muggy evenings or following a rainstorm. This species and other types of snakes in Wyoming may hibernate together.
Their preferred habitats include juniper woodlands, arid river valleys, sandhills, grasslands, shrubby hillsides, canyons, and woodlands of the plains and foothills.
They are also found in arid conifer forests in alpine regions. Because of their restricted numbers in the state of Wyoming, they are deemed vulnerable.
These types of snakes in Wyoming are recognized for the rings or blotches that make up their body and tail color pattern, which begins at the nape and progresses in the following order.
When fully grown, their length ranges from 16 to 32 inches.
7. Bullsnake
The Great Plains and the Midwest of the United States are home to the bullsnake, a subspecies of the gopher snake.
With huge, dark brown or black blotches and tiny, dark dots on the sides, they are frequently yellowish or pale brown in color.
These types of snakes in Wyoming are among the longest in North America, with a maximum length of 8 feet.
Although they have a narrower head than prairie rattlesnakes and no black and white striping on their tail, bullsnakes might be confused with them.
The bullsnake mimics, not in vain; it puffs up, coils into a rattlesnake strike stance, and even tries to strike, albeit with its jaws closed.
It is also renowned for making rattlesnake-like tail strikes on the ground. These snakes pose little harm to people, though.
A natural scene of lush golden grass with a coiled bull snake that is light brown with darker markings.
The Bullsnake imitates the deadly rattlesnake by hissing, shaking its tail, and rearing up in an S-shape when it feels threatened.
8. Desert Striped Whipsnake
Masticophis taeniatus taeniatus, also known as the desert striped whip snake, is primarily found in flatlands and sagebrush environments.
However, it can also be found in mountains like Wyoming’s Rocky Mountains. These types of snakes in Wyoming can also be found in Grand Teton National Park.
The desert-striped whip snake is a relatively thin snake that grows to a maximum length of six feet.
They are known as whip snakes because, when coiled, their long, thin bodies resemble a coiled whip.
These snakes are often dark olive to dark tan in color, with cream or yellow stripes along the length of their bodies. Their tail may have a hint of red, almost pink.
The Grand Teton National Park and Wyoming’s Rocky Mountain region are home to Striped Whip Snakes.
9. Plain Hognose Snake
A plains hognose snake, also known as a western hognose, can always be identified by its snout. These snakes have a distinctive tilted snout to dig in loose, dry, sandy soil.
Plains hognose snakes frequently cross pathways and burrow into the sandy, dry soil in the Red Desert.
Although they are water snakes, these snakes sometimes have similarities to deadly cottonmouth snakes.
Wyoming is devoid of cottonmouth snakes. Therefore, you shouldn’t fear the western hognose snake because it won’t harm you.
The tip of the nose of the Western Hognose snake is covered in an inverted scale that aids in its ability to burrow through loose soil and sand.
Plains hognose snakes frequently cross pathways and burrow into the sandy, dry soil in the Red Desert.
10. Black Hills Red-Bellied Snake
The Black Hills red-bellied snake has a body that is typically brown to russet, with a reddish-orange belly that is sporadically gray or black.
They like moist environments such as residential areas, deciduous forests, riparian woodlands, and wet meadows.
These types of snakes in Wyoming are not aggressive and rarely bite, despite your fear of them.
When confronted, they produce an offensive-smelling musk, clench their lips, and flatten their bodies to seem larger rather than striking.
Instead of pretending to be dead, there are those who show off their crimson underbelly.
Adults are between 10 and 12 inches long. The red-bellied snakes of the Black Hills are harmless and don’t usually bite, despite your fear of them.
11. Western Terrestrial Garter Snake
The dorsal stripes of most western terrestrial garter snakes are yellow, light orange, or white, with two stripes of the same color on either side.
These snakes are medium-sized, often ranging in length from 18 to 41 inches.
The only known species of garter snake that constricts prey is the western terrestrial, albeit this is an ineffective technique for this species of snake compared to others.
They prefer grasslands, woodlands, and coniferous forests as their habitats. The venom of these types of snakes in Wyoming is extremely weakly neurotoxic.
They cannot successfully administer the venom to anything larger than small prey hence, they do not constitute a threat to humans.
The venom of the Western Terrestrial Garter Snake is extremely weakly neurotoxic, although it has little effect on humans.
12. Plain Garter Snake
The plains garter snake is next on our list of types of snakes in Wyoming. They are primarily gray-green in color, with a noticeable orange or yellow stripe running from its head to its tail.
This species is frequently found close to marshes, streams, ponds, other bodies of water, and prairies.
It also enjoys living in cities and residences in empty lots and structures. Small rodents and amphibians are typically their prey.
The snake is characterized as medium-sized, measuring 36 inches on average.
Even though it is generally regarded as the least concerned species in terms of endangerment, it is given special consideration in the state of Wyoming.
The plains garter snake is frequently observed close to bodies of water.
13. The Great Basin Rattlesnake
This dangerous snake, which ranges in length from 26 to 49 inches, has splotches of brown or black and can appear grey, brown, olive, or yellow.
Great Basin rattlesnakes’ dry, arid habitats are full of rocks and other large boulders that they can hide beneath.
Small birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals make up their diet. In western Wyoming, they are frequently encountered by hikers.
They have a characteristic rattling sound when they shake their tails, which they use to signal danger. If you hear a rattle, immediately avoid the Great Basin rattlesnake.
These types of snakes in Wyoming venom are complicated and contain hemotoxins, mycotoxins, and possibly even neurotoxins.
Great Basin rattlesnakes’ dry, arid habitats are full of rocks and other large boulders where they can hide.
14. Faded Rattlesnake
The name “midget faded rattlesnake” (Crotalus concolor) may have given you an idea of this snake’s size. The majority of these snakes have a length of under two feet.
However, their potency more than compensates for their lack of size.
A bite from a faded midget rattlesnake is very serious and requires immediate medical intervention.
As the venom works its way through the body, it will destroy red blood cells, which can cause your tissue to die. Faded midget rattlesnakes are usually pale tan or brown with light markings.
Always watch and listen for rattlesnakes when hiking or camping in Wyoming, especially in the Red Desert area and national parks.
Walk extremely carefully and deliberately, and be sure of where you are putting your feet each time you take a step.
This species has a couple of nasty toxins; one attacks the nervous system, and the other attacks muscle tissue.
15. Prairie Rattlesnake
The prairie rattlesnake range covers most of the Great Plains area of North America, southwestern Canada, and northern Mexico.
Prairie rattlesnakes are usually more than 3 feet long but can measure anywhere from 35-45 inches.
It is lightly colored, usually in various shades of brown, with dark brown oval-shaped patches with thin white borders running down the middle of its back.
The scales along its back are also keeled, so there is a rough ridge in the middle of each scale, giving the snake a rougher, bristly appearance.
Prairie rattlesnakes primarily eat small mammals like mice, ground squirrels, small rabbits, prairie dogs, and rats.
The venom of these types of snakes in Wyoming is primarily a hemotoxin, destroying red blood cells. Still, some neurotoxic elements can interfere with cell signaling and cause paralysis.
It may surprise you to learn that all prairie rattlesnakes have toxic venom from the moment of birth, though some scientists contend that the makeup of the venom varies with age.
