12 Black Snakes in Arkansas

Written by Kristen Holder
Updated: January 22, 2023
ยฉ Matt Jeppson/Shutterstock.com
Share this post on:
Think You Know Snakes?
โ†“ Continue Reading To See This Amazing Video

Snakes are among the most feared animals in America despite most snakes posing no threat. Due to this fear, many black snakes in Arkansas are killed needlessly.

Be careful if youโ€™re thinking about killing a snake youโ€™ve encountered, as many are protected by law. Almost all snakes in Arkansas are protected unless youโ€™re in immediate danger. Make sure you know the specific laws in your region.

As a vital part of our ecosystem, snakes keep pests in control and are an excellent food source for larger animals.

61,791 People Couldn't Ace This Quiz

Think You Can?

What are 12 of the black snakes in Arkansas? Weโ€™ll look at some pictures and discuss details about each one.

1. Northern Cottonmouth

Northern cottonmouths are rare, though theyโ€™re found statewide.

ยฉLinda Burek/Shutterstock.com

Cottonmouths are found statewide, though theyโ€™re rarely seen in the Ouachita Mountains or the Ozark Highlands. These snakes prefer wet habitats such as ditches, streams, swamps, and sloughs. Their diet consists of snakes, birds, rodents, fish, and frogs.

Also known as water mocassins, cottonmouths are pit vipers. They have heat-sensing pits on either side of their face that they use to detect prey around them. Theyโ€™re mostly black, though some individuals may be a shade of brown. They have crossbands, but on black snakes, theyโ€™re barely distinguishable unless theyโ€™re wet.

When cottonmouths bare their mouths at a threat, itโ€™s white. This is why they earned the โ€œcottonโ€ moniker.

2. Southern Black Racer

Southern black racer curled up
Southern black racers are constrictors.

ยฉPsychotic Nature/Shutterstock.com

Southern black racers are smooth snakes. They prefer forested habitats, fields, and where those two converge. Theyโ€™re constrictors and kill their prey by squeezing them to death.

Scientists discovered an instance where a great horned owl was killed by a southern black racer that then died of its wounds. The bird was found with the snake coiled around it. This provides an interesting perspective on the dangerous and overlapping feeding patterns of large birds and snakes.

3. Black Rat Snake

An adult rat black snake peaks over a rock
Black rat snakes like to steal eggs from chicken coops.

ยฉMatt Jeppson/Shutterstock.com

The underside of the black rat snakeโ€™s head is white, and its back appears shiny. Itโ€™s an excellent climber and prefers anywhere that has trees.

Black rat snakes are constrictors, and they kill rats, birds, and mice by squeezing them until they die. They also eat bird eggs and are known thieves of chicken coops.

In the wild, theyโ€™re often confused for cottonmouths, like most black snakes on our list. These snakes are nonvenomous and mostly harmless, and they make great pet snakes.

4. Coachwhip Snake

Eastern coachwhip snake
Coachwhip snakes arenโ€™t all black, but their heads are black.

ยฉMatt Jeppson/Shutterstock.com

Coachwhip snakes are not all black, but their heads are black, which tapers to brown or tan at the tip of their tail. Like most of the snakes on our list, itโ€™s only some individuals that have the black coloring. Reliably, coachwhip snakes always match the colors of their habitat.

These snakes feed on lizards, mice, snakes, and birds. They pursue their prey, catch it in their strong jaws, and usually swallow the victim whole.

5. Ribbon Snake

Water Ribbon Snake
Ribbon snakes like to eat frogs and little fish.

ยฉiStock.com/krblokhin

Found all over the state, ribbon snakes have black bodies with bright and bold stripes running down the length of their bodies. These snakes like to live near the edges of bodies of water like streams, rivers, swamps, and marshes. They like to eat little fish and frogs, but theyโ€™re also known to chow down on earthworms.

6. Western Mud Snake

mud snake
While not all black, western mud snakes are primarily black.

ยฉThesigner_2696/Shutterstock.com

Mud snakes are smooth snakes that can be found in the Mississippi Delta and the Coastal Plain. These snakes are bluish-black or black with a red belly, so like other black snakes in Arkansas, theyโ€™re not always black. Mud snakes are aquatic and like sloughs, lakes, and streams.

7. Grahamโ€™s Crayfish Snake

Graham’s Crayfish Snake
Grahamโ€™s crayfish snakes eat crayfish primarily.

ยฉRusty Dodson/Shutterstock.com

Grahamโ€™s crayfish snakes are found in the Coastal Plain, the Mississippi Delta, and the western Arkansas River Valley. While theyโ€™re technically brown, they look more black than brown when it is wet. Thatโ€™s why they earn their spot on our list.

These snakes like to hang out in trees above their water source. They eat mainly crayfish and use their burrows as hideouts or to avoid the heat. Frogs and tadpoles are also on the menu.

8. Western Worm Snake

A Western Worm Snake rests on a flat rock
Worm snakes are among the smallest snakes in Arkansas.

ยฉMatt Jeppson/Shutterstock.com

Western worm snakes have flat heads that help them burrow into the ground. Theyโ€™re called worm snakes because they only eat earthworms. These snakes are found in empty agricultural fields and are rarely found in more wild habitats.

Worm snakes are found everywhere in Arkansas except the Mississippi River lowlands. Theyโ€™re small snakes and grow up to a foot in length.

9. Ringneck Snake

northern ringneck snake
Ringneck snakes live west of the White River in the state of Arkansas.

ยฉ/Shutterstock.com

Ringneck snakes live in pastures, forests, fields, and everywhere they mix. They are hiders that prefer rocks and logs. They live west of the White River. These snakes have a diet that consists of salamanders, insects, lizards, and earthworms.

10. Flathead Snake

Flathead snakes have poisonous saliva.

ยฉMRoald/Shutterstock.com

Flathead snakes have fangs in the back of their mouths. When they bite, they chew, and a gland releases poison into the wound. This isnโ€™t the same as being venomous, as venomous implies an injection of a toxin. Rather, poison refers to a substance that is toxic to the touch.

11. Plainbelly Water Snake

Plain-Bellied Water Snake - Yellow Belly Water Snake
Plainbelly water snakes are often mistaken for cottonmouths.

ยฉ/Shutterstock.com

Plainbelly water snakes are mistaken for cottonmouths even though theyโ€™re very different snakes. Their saliva is poisonous, and they repeatedly bite, though it poses little threat to humans except for pain.

These snakes are also called yellow-bellied water snakes because their stomachs are yellow. They like to be by the water, but they arenโ€™t fans of swift water.

12. Common Garter Snake

common garter snake slithering in grass
Garter snakes are opportunistic and do well in many habitats.

ยฉiStock.com/Wildnerdpix

Common garter snakes are opportunistic feeders that will take advantage of any food source in their environment. Thatโ€™s why theyโ€™re able to live in a variety of places, including urban gardens. Their propensity to be found in gardens is why theyโ€™re also known as โ€œgarden snakes.โ€

Garter snakes are nonvenomous, but they have toxic saliva like some other black snakes found in Arkansas. This saliva isnโ€™t harmful to humans, but it helps subdue prey.

Up Next

Discover the "Monster" Snake 5X Bigger than an Anaconda

Every day A-Z Animals sends out some of the most incredible facts in the world from our free newsletter. Want to discover the 10 most beautiful snakes in the world, a "snake island" where you're never more than 3 feet from danger, or a "monster" snake 5X larger than an anaconda? Then sign up right now and you'll start receiving our daily newsletter absolutely free.


More from A-Z Animals


The Featured Image

An adult rat black snake peaks over a rock
Reaching a length of up to 8 feet, black rat snakes are one of the longest snakes in North America
ยฉ Matt Jeppson/Shutterstock.com

Share this post on:
About the Author

I'm a fact-driven creative with a love of history and an eye for detail. I graduated from the University of California, Riverside in 2009 with a BA in Art History after a STEM-focused high school career. Telling a complex story with real information in a manner that's easy to digest is my talent. When I'm not writing for A-Z Animals, I'm doting on my 3 cats while I watch documentaries and listen to music in Romance languages.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us? Contact the AZ Animals editorial team.