The 4 States With the Most Venomous Snakes

1. Arizona Has 19 Venomous Snakes

There’s not an exact number to be given for the venomous snakes in Arizona. The number changes quite often depending on what counts as a species and what counts as a subspecies.

Depending on where you look, Arizona has anything between 13 and 21 venomous snakes in Arizona. Most of the venomous snakes in this state are rattlesnakes.

There are an estimated to be 13 species of rattlesnakes in Arizona. Some of them include snakes like the western diamondback rattlesnake, the tiger rattlesnake, the Mojave rattlesnake, and the Grand Canyon rattlesnake.

In addition to those, there are species like the Arizona coral snake and the Mexican vine snake.

2. Texas Is Home to 15 Venomous Snake Species

The 15 different venomous snakes in Texas are grouped into four main categories.

The first is coral snakes. There is only one species of coral snake in Texas. This is the Texas coral snake.

The second group is copperheads. There is technically only one copperhead in America, Agkistrodon contortrix, but five subspecies. There are three subspecies of copperheads in Texas. They are the southern copperhead, the broad-banded copperhead, and the Trans-Pecos copperhead.

Cottonmouths are next. There is again only one cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorous, but a few different subspecies. Only one recognized subspecies is found in Texas. This is the western cottonmouth.

Finally, the last group is rattlesnakes. There are 10 species and subspecies of rattlesnakes in Texas. Some species you can find in Texas include timber, mottled rock, western diamondback, and prairie rattlesnakes.

3. California Follows Close Behind With 9 Species

In California, there are 46 different species of snakes. Out of those 46, nine are venomous species. All of them are rattlesnakes.

The nine species are as follows:

• Northern Pacific rattlesnake
• Southern Pacific rattlesnake
• Panamint rattlesnake
• Mojave rattlesnake
• Red diamond rattlesnake
• Sidewinder
• Great Basin rattlesnake
• Southwestern speckled rattlesnake
• Western diamondback rattlesnake

The Northern Pacific, Southern Pacific, and Great Basin rattlesnakes are technically one species. They are subspecies of the western rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis).

The Mojave rattlesnake, one of the snakes found in California, is the deadliest rattlesnake in the world. Despite that, it’s a rather timid creature that tries to escape rather than attack whenever possible.

All of the snakes above live throughout most of California, as long as it is in an area below 11,000 feet. As their name suggests, rattlesnakes have a rattle on the end of their tail when they’re threatened. They are part of a larger group of snakes known as pit vipers because they have pits on the side of their nose.

Rattlesnake bites aren’t fatal for most people. Less than four people die by rattlesnake bites out of over 1,000 reported bites a year. However, each bite is incredibly painful and can lead to severe tissue loss. Because rattlesnakes can hold venom for up to an hour after their death, it’s important not to pick one up, even if it’s dead.

4. Oklahoma Comes in Fourth With 7 Species

There are over 40 species of snakes found in Oklahoma. Despite that, only seven are venomous. Five of these snakes fall into the rattlesnake group. These five are the western pygmy, western massasauga, prairie, timber, and western diamondback rattlesnakes.

In addition to the rattlesnakes, there is also a species of copperhead and a species of water moccasin. Water moccasins are also known as cottonmouths, due to their bright white mouths. However, unless you’re about to be bitten, the most recognizable venomous snake in Oklahoma is the copperhead.

Copperheads are most often between one and three feet long. They are a light tan to a chestnut color and the darker bands that wrap around their body tend to be in the shape of an hourglass.

While in other states, a copperhead can be confused with another snake, in Oklahoma, they are the only snake that looks anything like that.