Snakes in the Smoky Mountains – Should I Be Worried?
There are 23 different species of snakes in the Smoky Mountains. Most are completely harmless – only two are venomous.
Here is a rundown of all 23 species, plus some info on how to keep you and your family safe.
Published October 8, 2024
Wow!
Mole Kingsnake
The Mole Kingsnake is so named because it spends so much time underground. Like all kingsnakes, it is a constrictor, squeezing its prey until it dies from suffocation. Often, that prey is other snakes, even venomous ones. Most kingsnakes are immune or at least tolerant to the venom of other snakes.
The Mole Kingsnake is brown or gray, with colored splotches or speckles on its back and sides. As it grows older, those spots sometimes fade. Their bellies are yellow or white, with a bit of red and gray mixed in. They are sometimes called “Yellow-Bellied Kingsnakes”.
Eastern Kingsnake
The Eastern Kingsnake, sometimes called the Common Kingsnake, eats frogs, lizards, toads, turtle eggs, birds, bird eggs, other snakes, and even other Kingsnakes! (This guy is not picky when it comes to eating…)
Adult Eastern Kingsnakes can measure from 3′ long to almost 7′ long. However, they tend to be docile, even when picked up. (Note: Not all species of kingsnakes are so docile. I was once bitten by a California Kingsnake while doing a Reptile Presentation at our zoo.)
Black Kingsnake
The Black Kingsnake is often confused with Black Racers, Black Rat Snakes, and Black Snakes…because they are all…black. They grow to be 3′ to 4′ long. Like other kingsnakes, they eat a variety of rodents, eggs, frogs, lizards, and other snakes.
The photo below on the left is of Mary Ellen, my wife, who is not at all afraid of snakes, holding a kingsnake she picked up in our backyard. The photo below on the right is of a Black Kingsnake who curled up in one of our deck chairs for a day or two. Notice its eye. This snake is “in blue”, which refers to the process of shedding its skin, including the blue scale covering its eye.
Scarlet Kingsnake
The Scarlet Kingsnake is a beautiful animal – red with bands of black and yellow. Its appearance is not just for good looks, though. It is a defense mechanism called “Batesian Mimicry”. Its color pattern mimics that of the venomous Coral Snake, causing predators to leave it alone.
Have you heard the phrase, “Red on black, friend of Jack; red on yellow, kill a fellow”? That’s how you can tell the species apart. If the black bands touch the red bands on the snake, it’s nonvenomous. But if the red bands touch the yellow bands, back away – it’s a venomous snake.
Eastern Milk Snake
The Eastern Milk Snake gets its name from an old myth. It was once believed that milk snakes would slither into pastures and barns at night, raise themselves up, and drink milk from a cow’s udders. This, of course, is ridiculous.
The Eastern Milk Snake is not a milk-drinker, but it does enjoy small rodents, possums, skunks, and other snakes.
Milk Snakes are often kept as pets due to their docile nature.
Northern Water Snake
I almost stepped on the handsome fellow shown below while I was working in my yard recently. It’s a Northern Water Snake, also known as the Common Watersnake and the Brown Watersnake.
This snake is often mistaken for the Cottonmouth Moccasin, a venomous snake found in the southeast United States and in west Texas.
This snake will defend itself aggressively when threatened, striking and biting repeatedly. Best advice? Give it some room.
Rough Green Snake
The Rough Green Snake is a cute little fellow, isn’t he?
This snake may be found in many spots. It is arboreal (it spends a lot of time in trees), a good swimmer, and home on the ground, where its coloring acts as camouflage.
The Rough Green Snake has a docile nature and rarely bites when approached. Plus, it has a great smile, don’t you think?
Northern Pine Snake
The Northern Pine Snake grows to a length of 6′ or more, making it one of the largest snakes you might encounter in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This snake is a constrictor, powerfully squeezing its prey until it can no longer breathe.
The Northern Pine Snake is recognizable by the shape of its head. It has a somewhat pointed snout – some say its head looks like that of a turtle.
Like most snakes, this snake will avoid humans if it can.
Queen Snake
The Queen Snake is a 15″ to 24″ long water snake. Its main food source is crawfish, crawdads, and crayfish, which are all the same thing.
I’m told it’s called a “Queen” snake because it has seven stripes when it is young, five of which fade away as it reaches adulthood. (I have no idea why this makes it a queen…)
The snake is brownish to olive-green with a yellowish or cream-colored stripe on the lower side of its body.
Northern Brown Snake
The Northern Brown Snake, also known as DeKay’s Brown Snake or just the Brown Snake, is a small snake—usually 12″ or less. It is quite common but not often seen since it usually comes out at night to hunt for slugs, snails, and earthworms.
Midland Brown Snake
The Midland Brown Snake is very similar to the Northern Brown Snake. It grows to 16″ and, like the Northern Brown Snake, eats slugs, snails, and earthworms.
Northern Redbelly Snake
The scientific name for the Northern Redbelly Snake is Storeria occipitomaculata – try saying that five times real fast! It’s obvious where this snake got its common name – its red belly is a big clue, right?
The Northern Redbelly Snake is small, usually no more than 4″ to 10″ in length. It may be brown or black on its back, but its belly will be bright red or orange.
Farther north, this snake will use abandoned ant beds for a warm shelter from the cold.
Southeastern Crowned Snake
The scientific name for the Southeastern Crowned Snake is Tantilla coronata, which translates from Latin to “so little” and “crown”. That’s a very good description of this snake.
It’s only 7″ to 9″ long, and the black band on its head and neck forms its “crown.”
The Southeastern Crowned Snake uses mild venom to subdue its prey, including termites, worms, centipedes, and spiders. The venom is harmless to humans.
Eastern Garter Snake
The Eastern Garter Snake is easily identified by the three stripes that run down its back for the entire length of its body. It supposedly got its name from those stripes, which some say resemble the garters men sometimes use to hold their socks up.
This medium-sized snake is usually 18″ to 26″ long. They can be black, brown, or greenish, with the telltale stripes colored yellow or white.
Garter snakes primarily eat earthworms, though they do enjoy the occasional frog now and then.
Eastern Earth Snake
The Eastern Earth Snake grows, on average, 7″ to 10″ long. It spends most of the day hiding underground and comes out at night to hunt. Like many smaller snakes, it feeds on earthworms, snails, slugs, etc.
It is completely harmless, but if you pick one up, it will most likely emit a foul-smelling odor. You’ll probably want to avoid that…
What You Should Do if You Encounter a Nonvenomous Snake?
As mentioned earlier, most snakebites occur when a person tries to pick up a snake or kill a snake. There is no reason to do either of these things.
Instead, just step back a couple or three steps from the snake. Give it plenty of room. Don’t throw rocks or sticks at it. Just enjoy observing it! Take some photos – your friends will be impressed!
Frequently Asked Questions
- How can I tell if a snake is venomous?
- Look at the shape of the head. If it is triangular, it is a venomous snake. If the snake’s head is the same size as its body, it’s nonvenomous. (This is true of snakes in the United States, but not always true overseas. Also, the Coral Snake, which is not found in the Smoky Mountains, is venomous but does not have a triangular head.)
- Look at the eyes. Venomous snakes have pupils that look like thin slits, while nonvenomous snakes have round pupils.
- A rattlesnake is easy to identify by the rattles on its tail.
- How can I stay safe from snakes?
- Stay on the trail. If you must step off the trail, pay close attention to where you step.
- If you encounter a snake (and if you do enough hiking, you probably will), give it plenty of room. There’s no need to pick it up or try to kill it. (To quote that renowned group of biologists, The Beatles, “Let it Be”.)
- How many people are killed each year by snakebites in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park?
- Snakebites in the park are very rare. There has NEVER been a person killed by snakebite in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
- What should I wear if I’m worried about getting bitten by a snake?
- Your safest option is to wear boots.
- If you’re very concerned, you can purchase and wear “snake gaiters”, which cover and protect your legs from ankle to knee.
The Wrap-Up – Snakes in the Smoky Mountains – Should I Be Worried?
You should not be worried or anxious about snakes in the Smoky Mountains. You will most likely not even see one. And if you do, there’s about a 90% chance it will be nonvenomous.
You should, however, use good judgment and common sense. Follow the advice given above, and your odds of having a safe visit to the Smokies will skyrocket!
Happy Hiking!
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