Common Snakes of North Carolina

There are different snake species that are found in North Carolina. The best way to handle a snake sighting is to stay as far away from it especially when you aren’t in a position to identify whether it is venomous or not. If it isn’t within your house or property, don’t try anything. However, if there is a conflict of interest, there are different ways to handle the situation and one involves calling in an expert who will help you with the situation.



North Carolina has got venomous and non-venomous snakes living within. The venomous snakes include the diamondback coral snake, the pigmy rattler canebrake, the cottonmouth, and the copperhead, coral snake, and diamondback rattler among others.

There are non-venomous snakes too and they include brown water coach whip, light racer, black racer, black rat snake, gray rat snake, and water coach whip among others.

The snakes in North Carolina range in their sizes. They can be a few inches up to over 8 feet in their size. In North Carolina, the non-venomous snakes are more than the venomous snakes. There are around 37 known species of snakes living in North Carolina and out of these, 6 are venomous. Only 3 of the venomous species are located in piedmont area. These are the copperheads, the rattlesnakes as well as the cottonmouths. The cottonmouths are commonly found in the union county and moving eastwards into the coast.

The non-venomous snakes have got tiny teeth. The teeth usually create some superficial cuts that are very much similar to the briar scratches. When bitten by a non venomous snake, the bite looks like a horse shoe because of the scratches. The area needs to be cleaned properly with some soap and lots of water. It should then be wiped using hydrogen peroxide. If you see that there are only two or one puncture wound, or if you have any allergies or when you are not sure whether the snake was venomous or not, you need to see a doctor immediately. Most of the non-venomous snakes aren’t able to bite through your clothing.

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