Identification key · North America
Step-by-step snake key
Answer what you can about the snake you saw. Each step narrows it toward a group and tells you whether to treat it as venomous. This is a North American visual key for awareness, not a definitive species ID.
Step 1
Does the tail end in a segmented rattle, or a small horny “button”?
Look at the very tip of the tail. A rattle is a series of loose, interlocking segments.
Folk characters have exceptions. Never use a key to decide a snake is safe to approach. If you cannot positively identify a snake, keep your distance and treat it as potentially venomous. For exact local species, use the location finder.