See the 10 Coolest Looking Snakes Found Slithering Around the United States

Can snakes look cool? We think so! As terrifying as they are to some of us, snakes fill a vital role in the ecology of a habitat. The very smallest keep insects, grubs, and worms from overpopulating their environment; the very biggest keep prey animals like rats and rabbits from doing the same.

Did you know that, according to iNaturalist.org, there are at least 184 snake species slithering around the United States? That doesn’t include all the “new” species where the taxonomy changed recently and elevated a few to full species status (the prairie/western rattlesnake genera come to mind), but it does include non-natives like the Burmese pythons in Florida.

These legless wonders of nature fascinate, perplex, and astonish those of us who love and study them. However, we understand that they can be a little hard to love. To help you perhaps dislike them a little less, we have a list of the coolest-looking snakes in the United States. Most are stunning in their way, others are unique, and a few are just odd.

No matter where you fall on the “like vs. dislike” scale with snakes, we hope you’ll agree that these are some of the coolest-looking snakes in the U.S.

1. Coral Snake — Beautiful, but Deadly

Yes, why not start with the dangerous snakes? In fairness, the coral snake’s bite isn’t usually fatal, but left untreated, it can be. Coral snakes have highly neurotoxic venom and a less-than-optimal delivery system. However, they can still deliver a respectable bite and must be treated at the hospital.

Contrary to what you may have heard, they do NOT have to chew their venom into you. Instead, that chewing behavior is probably more related to the type of prey they eat as adults — snakes! Obviously, that’s not all they eat. However, snakes that regularly eat other snakes tend to “chew” on the prey. Scientists think it’s more likely intended to prevent its escape.

The United States has three coral snake species that range across the southern and southwestern United States from Florida to Arizona. Their typical pattern has vivid red, pitch black, and lemon-yellow, but the Arizona species’ yellow tends to be much paler than the others.

• Eastern coral snakes (Micrurus fulvius)
• Texas coral snakes (Micrurus tener)
• Arizona coral snake (Micruroides euryxanthus)

Fortunately, for all their dangerous glory, coral snakes are rarely seen, and even more rarely do they bite. They’re shy, reclusive, and will leave you alone.

2. Speckled Kingsnake — Black and Gold Beauty

Snakes with the “king” moniker in their name usually include other snakes in their diet, and the speckled kingsnake is no exception. They seem to be resistant to rattlesnake venom, although just how resistant they are is up for discussion. Speckled kingsnakes are common from about Kansas and Missouri south to Texas in the west and Alabama in the east.

Long, sleek, snake eaters known as speckled kingsnakes are one of the prettier snakes in the U.S. They have shiny black scales with a dot of bright yellow or sometimes white in the middle of most scales. Speckled kingsnakes are muscular, somewhat tube-shaped snakes that can reach six feet long, but usually average around four.

Although speckled kingsnakes will bite when threatened, they have no venom and are harmless to people.

3. Copperhead — Chocolate Kisses with a Bite

Do you like chocolate? I do!

Only, these aren’t the kind of chocolate kisses you’d want to touch.

Copperheads are definitely one of the coolest-looking snakes slithering around the United States. They’re gorgeous. Unlike other snake species that lose their pattern as they mature, copperheads keep their pattern throughout their lives. Their heads are the color of a newly-minted copper penny, giving copperheads their name. Their bodies can vary from gray to pink, brown, or a similar coppery color to their heads.

Traditionally, biologists describe their markings as hourglass-shaped. Yet, if you look at them from the side, it looks suspiciously like chocolate kisses — complete with the milk-chocolate color and a beautiful color gradient inside, almost caramel-filled!

Beauty aside, you don’t want to get too close to these snakes. They’re venomous and are responsible for more bites than most other venomous snake species in the U.S. Thankfully, they’re not as dangerous as rattlesnakes and aren’t aggressive.

4. Rosy Boa — Colorful and Cute

A southwestern U.S. native, rosy boas are one of a few small boa species that call the United States home. They’re mainly found in southern California, southwestern Arizona, and Baja Mexico. Rosy boas are small, docile, and break shatter the idea that venomous snakes have vertical pupils because these harmless boas also have cat-eye pupils.

Rosy boas show off natural color mutations like shades of pink, red, orange, brown, and black. They’re nocturnal ambush predators, so you probably won’t see them unless you go looking. However, they’re popular pets, so captive-bred snakes are easy to find online.

These small boas rarely grow longer than 44 inches and eat various small mammals, helping keep the rodent population down.

5. California Kingsnake — Unique and Cool

Another in-the-wild color mutating snake, California kingsnakes can be found from Oregon to Baja California, and east to Arizona. They usually have alternating dark and light bands, of chocolate or black and white or cream. However, if you’re going to find a weird, naturally occurring morph in the United States, we wouldn’t be surprised to hear it was a California king.

Common morphs include stripes instead of bands, nearly solid black, or albino — making them one of the coolest looking snakes found in the U.S. Their easy care and minimal requirements make them great pets — but they’re active snakes that need plenty of space. California kingsnakes eat all manner of small animals including other snakes and sometimes venomous snakes.

6. San Francisco Garter Snake — Check Out Those Colors!

This common garter snake subspecies sports a more flamboyant color pattern than most snakes. The red, blue, yellow, and sometimes turquoise San Francisco Garter Snake is one of, if not the number one, coolest looking snake in the entire United States.

We don’t know how this fits into the normal snake camouflage pattern of blending in with its surroundings, but the San Francisco garter snake is a stunner. Like other garter snakes, it’s relatively small and thin, only averaging about three feet long.

It feasts on small amphibians and seems immune to the toxins that Pacific salamanders excrete. They’re only found in a small area around the San Francisco Peninsula and are one of the rarest garter snakes.

7. Rubber Boa — Gentle and Sweet

With a name like this, you might be expecting a tire. However, the most northerly-living boa in the world has loose, baggy skin and tiny scales that give it all the luster of wet rubber gloves.

As weird as this sounds, rubber boas are one of the coolest-looking snakes found in the U.S., if a bit weird. They’re extremely docile and people often use them as gentle introductory snakes for people who are a bit freaked out. Rubber boas never try to bite you, and just hang out when you pick them up.

This species lives in areas with lots of digging opportunities from California to Washington and British Columbia, east to Montana and Wyoming. They are mostly nocturnal and mainly eat lizards and small rodents. Rubber boas only grow to about 33 inches long and have become popular pets.

8. Ground Snake — So Cool It Should be in a Movie!

This tiny snake sports some pretty bright orange-red and black bands. Well, a lot of them do! Like the California kingsnake, ground snakes vary widely. They can be banded with red, orange, black, or brown, solid red, or striped, and usually have a white or gray belly.

Ground snakes are harmless colubrids that only grow to about 19 inches. They mainly eat invertebrates like scorpions, spiders, crickets, and insect larvae. They’re common throughout their wide range, but are so secretive that you may never see one! Ground snakes live in the western half of the United States as far north as Oregon.

9. Eastern Indigo Snakes — Iridescent Hunters

The eastern indigo snake lives in forests and flatlands of the eastern United States. It is the biggest nonvenomous snake in the U.S., even though a gopher snake may make a run at the indigos for size.

Size isn’t the only area where indigo snakes excel. They are snake hunters par excellence! Indigo snakes are known for hunting down and eating rattlesnakes. Like other snake eaters, they don’t only eat rattlesnakes — eastern indigos aren’t picky and their diets can include small alligators, turtles, small mammals, and birds too.

One of the coolest looking snakes slithering around the United States, the eastern indigo snake is smooth and a lustrous blue-black that shines with purple iridescence in the sun. They often have a bit of orange-red on their chin and throat, but are otherwise black. These powerful snakes are thick and muscular and actively hunt during the day. Eastern indigos average between seven and nine feet long!

10. Corn Snake — A Rat-Eating, Candy Corn-Colored Rope

We get it. Some snakes are just sort of boring. Their colors are meant to help them camouflage, so many of them have rather drab colors. This species is not drab. Corn snakes are bright orange with reddish markings on their back. They’re a type of rat snake and got their name because they often hang out near corn storage silos where, oddly enough, rats and mice also hang out. However, that’s not the only possible naming origin. It may also be related to the maize-like pattern on their belly.

Also, popular as pets, corn snakes are pretty easy to handle for beginners and, once basic needs are met, are easy to keep. Corn snakes are terrific climbers and that sometimes gets them into trouble because they’re often found dangling off of porch lights and exploring kitchens.

As one of the coolest-looking snakes slithering around the United States, corn snakes look amazing — with personalities to match.

Summary of the 10 Coolest Looking Snakes Found Slithering Around the United States

The photo featured at the top of this post is © outdoorsman/Shutterstock.com