Snakes in Nebraska

Nebraska has about 30+ species of snakes, and only 5 of them are venomous. The large majority you encounter are harmless and beneficial, working through prairie, farmland, and river valleys as natural rodent and insect control. Like its neighbors, Nebraska runs from wetter eastern country to dry western plains, and the snake life shifts along that line.

The habitats are a mix of grassland and water. Eastern Nebraska holds tallgrass prairie remnants, oak woodlands, and the broad Missouri River valley. The central and western parts give way to the vast Sandhills, mixed-grass and shortgrass prairie, and the rugged Pine Ridge and badlands of the northwest. Rivers like the Platte, Niobrara, and Republican thread wetlands and wooded corridors across an otherwise open landscape.

Nebraska's 5 venomous species sort by region. The Prairie Rattlesnake is the snake of the dry western plains, Sandhills, and rocky breaks, and is the most widespread venomous species in the state. The Eastern Copperhead and the Timber Rattlesnake reach the wooded bluffs and river valleys of the far southeast. The Eastern Massasauga and Western Massasauga are small, secretive wetland rattlesnakes of eastern marshes and wet prairie, now declined and protected. All are reclusive and avoid confrontation.

Most snakes Nebraskans see are harmless. Common garter snakes turn up everywhere, bullsnakes (gophersnakes) are abundant on the prairies and hiss and rattle their tails to bluff like a rattlesnake, getting killed needlessly even though they are excellent rodent hunters, and watersnakes patrol ponds and rivers where they are mistaken for something dangerous. Plains hognose snakes put on a flattening, hissing bluff but pose no threat. Bites are uncommon and rarely fatal thanks to antivenom, and most happen when people try to handle or kill a snake. Never assume a wild snake is safe to handle, and if a bite happens, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or 911.