Snakes (suborder Serpentes, order Squamata, class Reptilia, subphylum Vertebrata, phylum Chordata, kingdom Animalia, domain Eukarya)
Snakes share the Squamata order with lizards. All of the snakes on this page are members of the Alethinophidia infraorder, which includes most snakes. The other infraorder, Scolecophidia, includes blind snakes (with vestigial eyes), which live in the Southwest and Mexico. About two thirds of all snakes belong to the Colubridae family.
Of all of the snakes pictured here, only the Copperhead is venomous. The other four poisonous snakes in North Carolina and South Carolina are the Eastern Coral Snake (Micrurus fulvius), the Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus), the Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorous) and the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus). All of these snakes are members of the Viperidae family. However, it's worth noting that some non-venomous snakes can inflict significant physical injury with their fangs if handled.
These classifications constitute valid taxa according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortix, subfamily Crotalinae, family Viperidae)
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| Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortix), Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, Dare County, NC, 9/25/04. This snake was originally seen on the trail by someone else but had moved into the bushes beside it before I got this photo. | Copperhead, Eno River State Park, Old Cole Mill Road access, Durham County, NC, 7/22/09. It was not quite 2 feet long. |
Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi, subfamily Natricinae, family Colubridae)
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| Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi), Durham, 10/26/05 | Same snake as on left. |
Adult Redbelly Water Snake (Nerodia erythrogaster, subfamily Natricinae, family Colubridae)
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| Adult Redbelly Water Snake (Nerodia erythrogaster), Dare County, NC, 5/7/06 | Adult Redbelly Water Snake, Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 4/18/05. | Juvenile Redbelly Water Snake, Jordan Lake, Chatham County, NC, 9/11/05 |
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| Adult Redbelly Water Snake, Durham, 5/17/06 | Adult Redbelly Water Snake eating an American Toad, Durham, 5/25/06 |
Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon, subfamily Natricinae, family Colubridae)
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| Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon), Indian Creek Trail, a Jordan Lake Game Land, Chatham County, NC, 7/7/06. This snake froze in place near the eagle-viewing station. | Northern Water Snake, Eno River State Park, Old Cole Mill Road access, 4/4/07. Seen on a rock in Bobbitt's Hole. | Northern Water Snake, Ocracoke, Hyde County, NC, 5/13/07. The greenish cast is from grass blades in the foreground. |
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| Northern Water Snake, Durham, NC, 7/6/07 | Northern Water Snake, NC Zoo (not captive), Asheboro, NC, 5/9/07 |
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| Northern Water Snake, Durham, NC, 7/1/07. This was a small snake, less than a foot long. | |
Black Swamp Snake (Seminatrix pygaea, Natricinae subfamily, Colubridae family)
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| Black Swamp Snake, Ocracoke Island, Hyde County, NC, 5/9/06 |
Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis, subfamily Natricinae, family Colubridae)
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| Common Garter Snake, Durham, NC, 6/23/08 |
Eastern Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis sauritus, subfamily Natricinae, family Colubridae)
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| Eastern Ribbon Snake (Thamnophis sauritus). It's not every day that you get a snake and a Pink Lady's Slipper in the same picture, but that's what I did at Falling Creek Camp near Tuxedo, NC, on 5/25/03. | Eastern Ribbon Snake, Pettigrew State Park, 1/1/06. Garter snakes have one striking characteristic in common: they really move! |
Worm Snake (Carphophis amoenus, Xenodontinae subfamily, Colubridae family)
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| Eastern Worm Snake (Carphophis amoenus), found in leaf litter, Durham, NC, 10/30/09 | Same Eastern Worm Snake, Durham, NC, 10/30/09 | Worm Snake (Carphophis amoenus), Hemlock Bluffs Nature Preserve, Wake County, NC, 10/28/09 |
Racer species (Coluber constrictor, family Colubridae), Northern Black Racer subspecies
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| Racer species (Coluber constrictor), Northern Black Racer subspecies, Lake Crabtree County Park, Wake County, NC, 12/28/08. This snake stayed motionless except for wiggling its tail and occasionally showing its tongue. | Racer species (Coluber constrictor), Northern Black Racer subspecies, Lake Crabtree County Park, Wake County, NC, 11/9/02. The name was misleading in this situation: this snake barely moved. Josh Rose of Duke University identified this one. | This Northern Black Racer was moving at a relatively leisurely pace next to the path in Falls Lake State Park, Wake County, NC on 8/1/04. |
Eastern Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getulus, family Colubridae) and Corn Snake (Elaphe guttata)
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| Eastern Kingsnake (black and white) and Corn Snake (brown) tangled in Lynn's Hubert (Onslow County, NC) back yard, 9/23/06. The Corn Snake was actually constricting the Eastern King Snake. |
Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus, family Colubridae)
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| Rough Green Snake (Opheodrys aestivus), Durham, 5/23/05. I saw this snake when it crossed a walking path in my neighborhood. After taking the photos, I chased it into the woods nearby. | Same snake. | This Rough Green Snake was evidently surprised by our recent hot spell in Durham on 6/7/05, when temperatures soared into the upper 80s. I found it lying in the road in apparently dehydrated condition and removed it to the woods, where I took this picture. It offered no resistance, and the loss of green pigment showed it to be only marginally alive. |
Black Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta, family Colubridae)
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| Black Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta), NC Botanical Garden, 5/29/05. Note the black stripes on the dark gray background. | Black Rat Snake, Eno River State Park, Old Cole Mill Rd. access, Orange County, NC, 6/15/06 | Black Rat Snake, Quarry Trail, Museum of Life and Science, Durham, NC, 8/19/06. This snake remained motionless in this position while keeping on eye on me. |