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Snakes Found in Montgomery County
Introduction to Snakes
 Montgomery County has 18 species of snakes, while a total of
27 species are found in the State of Maryland. However, there are 115 species of snakes in North America, and approximately 2,700 species worldwide. Snakes are found
from sea level to over 10,000 feet and on every continent except Antarctica.
Snakes have a few unique characteristics that separate them from other reptiles, these include the fact that they have no legs, eyelids, or ears, and that their right lung is their only functioning lung in which they breathe. Snakes have long cylindrical scale covered bodies. They have a clear scale that covers the eye. They have the ability to sense sound by vibrations, and they smell using their tongues. Their diet mainly consists of fish, amphibians, reptiles, insects, rodents, birds and bird eggs.
There are many differences among snakes. Snakes may be nocturnal or diurnal. Some snakes live on land, or in the water, as where others live in the trees. Some snakes are poisonous and others are not. Some snakes are egg layers and some are live bearers. As different as snakes can be from one another, all snakes are carnivorous and all snakes swallow their prey whole- which is possible because they are able to dislocate their jaw. All snakes have 6 rows of teeth, and poisonous snakes have two fangs (which are hollow teeth) attached to the venom glands which produce poison. Snakes continuously grow through out their life span, therefore continuously shedding their skin. They shed their skin most often while young and growing, and more often again when their diet is good.
Each year in the spring when temperatures consistently remain above freezing the snakes emerge from there dens, start searching for food, and head off for their summer range (their birthing/mating place) which may be ¼-5 miles from the den. Here the snakes have their young, if the young are born live they stay with the mother for about a week, if eggs are laid they are generally not guarded. All young are considered independent at birth. There are certain species that have their young in the fall. The snakes head back to the previous years den before the frost occurs for hibernation. In some species, the adult snakes leave a chemical trail for the young to follow back to the den. Snakes hibernate all winter in the previous years den along with a number of other snakes and other species.
Snake Image Gallery
(Click on thumbnail image for larger version)
Black Rat Snake, Elaphe obsolete
 The Black Rat Snake grows to 203 cm in length. It is a shiny black snake with a white chin and its belly is white checkered. The juveniles have a distinct pattern of brown and black patches on a black and white checkered body. They also have a clear brown stripe that runs from the eye to the mouth. Mating occurs during April and May. The females lay eggs in early fall in tree cavities, mulch, saw dust piles, and rotting logs. The Black Rat snake comes out of hibernation during April, and is diurnal during spring and early summer. They are great climbers and are often seen in trees. Their diet consists mainly of birds, eggs, rodents, and squirrels.
Common (Eastern) Garter Snake: Thamnophis sirtalis
 The female Garter Snake grows to be about 51.5 cm, and the males grow to about 41.0 cm. The back (or dorsal) of the snake is black and usually has three yellowish lines running the length. There is also a checker board pattern on the back consisting of green, yellow, and black. The under side (or ventral) of the snake is a yellow to greenish color with an indistinct black line. The tip of the nose is brown. This species is not aggressive but will bite if aggravated and will release a foul, musk smelling odor. Juvenile garter snakes have the same checker board pattern, but the main color on their dorsal is brown, and the ventral is a cream color. As the snake ages, the dorsal pattern darkens.
The garter snake is diurnal, but in hot weather the species will become nocturnal. This snake is terrestrial, and may be found in damp areas, or near water such as lakes, stream banks, wetlands, or in wooded areas. Water is not necessary for this snake to live. On the first warm day of spring this species will mate and produce anywhere from 7- 01 young. Garter snakes are ovoviviparous, which means they bear their young alive. Their diet mainly consists of earthworms, fish, amphibians, and other reptiles.
Copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix
 The Copperhead is a venomous (poisonous) snake. It grows to 122 cm. Its skin is a tan pink with hour glass markings all along its body. Its head is flat and is a solid copper color with a pit between the eye and nostril. It has a white belly with some specks of dark color. The pupils are vertical, which is a characteristic of venomous snakes. Juveniles have the same color pattern as adults, except the tail is yellow and they lack black specks on their body.
 Mating occurs in early spring, and live young are born around October. Females have 1-17 young, which are 8-9 inches when born. This species is nocturnal, and is generally found under rocks and logs. The Copperhead hibernates in groups from November to April. Their diet mainly consists of small mammals, insects, amphibians, birds, and invertebrates.
Corn Snake, Elaphe guttata
 The Corn Snake is non venomous species that grows to be 123-152 cm. It is found from sea level up to 1850 m (6000 ft). The longest living corn snake known was just over 32 years. The pattern of the upper body consists of wide orange bands outlined in black and smaller bands of a duller orange-brown color. The belly is white checkered with black. The juveniles will often have brown to black blotches on an orange background. Females lay up to 27 eggs during the months of June and July. The young hatch by late August. This species is nocturnal and likes to stay hidden in corn fields, meadows, abandoned houses, woodlands, and underground. It also climbs trees. Their diet mainly consists of rodents, birds, bats, and lizards. This species is often mistaken for the Copperhead snake, but the copperhead has a more hour glass pattern and no checkerboard pattern on its belly.
Eastern Milk Snake, Lampropeltis triangulum
 The Eastern Milk Snake grows to the length of about 92 cm. There are two forms that occur, one is the blotched form, and the other is the banded form. The banded form is a white/yellow color with narrow black bands around wider brick red bands, this pattern continues for the whole length of the snake , and under the belly the bands never meet. The blotched form has a “Y” pattern on the rear portion of the head. There are reddish brown blotched outlined with black. When females lay eggs they are in a clutch of up to 12. They lay their eggs in rotting logs, under wood, and in sawdust piles. The eggs are long, white, and slender, and they may adhere to one another. The Eastern Milk Snake spends a lot of time burrowed under ground, or hiding in stumps, rocks, and logs. Their diet mainly includes lizards, mice, small snakes, earthworms, frogs, and insects.
Eastern Ribbon Snake, Thamnophis sauritus
 The female Eastern Ribbon Snakes grow to 97 cm in length, with males only attaining 67 cm . On the dorsal, or backs, of the adults are three bright yellow stripes on a dark black background. The belly, or ventral, of the snake is cream to greenish in color. The tail is approximately one-quarter the total length of the body. The snake has a white chin and a brown head. This species is semi-aquatic and is an excellent swimmer, and climber. It will not bite but will release a musky odor. The juveniles are similar to adults, except a they have a brown upper body with bright yellow stripes. The body gets darker as the snakes ages. The eastern ribbon snake requires semi or permanent bodies of water. They are generally found near the waters edges, in bushes or cattails that offer cover. They are in fresh or brackish water near marshes, bogs, or wetlands. During middle to late summer females produce up to 20 offspring. Their diet mainly consists of amphibians, salamanders, and small fishes.
Eastern Smooth Earth Snake: Virginia valeriae
002_small.jpg) The Eastern Smooth Earth Snake grows to about 18-25cm. It is red-brown dorsally on its body, head, and tail and a creamed color ventrally. Juveniles look the same as adults, except with a dark line in front of the eye. This snake is a burrowing, underground species, that prefer rotting stumps and logs. They are found almost anywhere that the soil is soft enough to burrow. Some examples are in hardwood forests, deciduous forests, abandoned agricultural fields, and suburban and urban woods. They are also found in trash near abandoned houses. They emerge from burrow during early spring rains. The eastern smooth earth snake mates in spring and fall. This species is viviparous, meaning the snake bears live young. Two to nine young are born in late summer. Their diet consists mainly of invertebrates such as earthworms, slugs, soft bodied insects and their larvae.
Northern Scarlet Snake, Cemophora coccinea copei
 The Northern Scarlet Snake is a nonvenomous species that grows up to 66 cm. The longest living northern scarlet snake known was 15 years. The pattern of the upper body consists of wide bands of orange and narrow bands of black and off white. The head is an orange red color and is pointed. The belly is a solid off white. Juveniles have saddles that are more pink than red. Species coloration darkens as they get older. During the early summer, females lay up to 12 leathery eggs under rocks, logs, and bury them in several inches of soil. They also lay eggs in rotting logs. The northern scarlet snake is generally found under boards, rocks, and logs, in forests and open adjacent fields with well drained soil. This species is nocturnal and is considered a burrower, spending a lot of time underground. Their diet mainly consists of other snakes, lizards, baby mice, fish, earthworms, and reptile eggs.
Rough Green Snake, Opheodrys aestivus
 The Rough Green Snake grows to almost 100 cm in length. The dorsal coloration is green and the belly is yellowish white. Juveniles look very similar except they are paler green. Females lay up to 12 eggs a year in a variety of places such as leaf litter, in rotting logs and stumps, and under wood boards. This species is semi-aquatic and is generally found in the vegetation that over hangs the streams. The rough green snake climbs vines and bushes and is camouflaged very well. Its diet mainly consists of grasshoppers, spiders, slugs, snails, moth and butterfly larvae, and crickets.
Queen Snake, Reginaseptemvittata
 The Queen Snake grows to about 38-60 cm. It is mainly brown with a yellow stripe along the lower side of the body. The belly is yellow with four dark stripes, the outer most being the two thickest. The stripes in the adults tend to run together. In the juveniles, the stripes on the belly are well defined all the way to the tail. Mating occurs April to May. These snakes are live-bearers, meaning they give birth to live young. The young are born in late summer. The queen snake is an aquatic species, found primarily in streams with rocky and sandy substrate. They may be found basking on low bushes along the streams. They mostly eat crawfish.
Worm Snake, Carphophis amoenus
 The Worm Snake grows to 15 inches and is non-venomous. This snake resembles a snake—hence the name. The body is brown and the belly is pink both of which are solid in color, and the head is pointed. When born, the hatchlings are pink ventrally and dark brown dorsally. The females lay 2-8 eggs during June in decaying organic matter, or rotten logs. When the young are born they may be up to 5.5 inches long. The Worm Snake hibernates deep under soil, and during the dry weather they go back into the soil. They remain buried under logs and leaf litter, so they are mainly found on the forest floor, or in fields near the forest. This snake’s diet mainly consists of earthworms, snails, slugs, and soft bodied insects.
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