Austin-Area
Snakes with BandsSnakes with BandsSnakes with Bands
ID Guide
| Austin-Area Snakes with Bands |
Bands of color extend across the back, down the sides, and across the belly to completely encircle the body. |  |
Austin-Area
Snakes
with Bands
Bands of color extend across the back, down the sides, and across the belly to completely encircle the body.
Broad-Banded Copperhead
(Agkistrodon Contortrix Laticinctus - wiki)
The Broad-Banded Copperhead snake gets to be 2 to 3 feet long.
The Broad-Banded Copperhead is not common to Austin but can be found in other areas like Elgin and Bastrop.
These snakes have broad bands in alternating colors of copper and light tan. The juveniles have greenish-yellow tips to their tails, which fade as they get older. These snakes feed on rodents, birds, and amphibians. Preventative measures are the same for the Copperhead as for the Diamondback Rattlesnake.
Broad-Banded Copperhead
(Agkistrodon Contortrix Laticinctus - wiki)
The Broad-Banded Copperhead snake gets to be 2 to 3 feet long.
The Broad-Banded Copperhead is not common to Austin but can be found in other areas like Elgin and Bastrop.
These snakes have broad bands in alternating colors of copper and light tan. The juveniles have greenish-yellow tips to their tails, which fade as they get older. These snakes feed on rodents, birds, and amphibians. Preventative measures are the same for the Copperhead as for the Diamondback Rattlesnake.
Photo by Steve Schwartzman
Photo by Adam Dawson
Photo by Ed Acuña
Texas Coral Snake
(Micrurus tenerr - wiki)
The Texas Coral Snake is a slender snake averaging 2 feet in length.
This snake has red, yellow, and black bands encircling the body, with the red touching the yellow. Although venomous, these snakes have a hard time injecting venom into a human because of their small head and their short, fixed fangs. Bites usually occur only on the hand on or between the fingers, and the snake has to chew in order to inject the venom, and most people do not let them hang on for long enough to do serious damage! They are usually encountered by people gardening or weeding. Wearing thick gloves is the safest way to avoid problems with the coral snake while gardening.
These snakes feed mainly upon other snakes and sometimes lizards, so they are attracted to yards landscaped with timbers or flagstones since that tends to attract the other smaller snakes on which they can feed. In other parts of Texas, there are found several other snakes which mimic the coral snake's colors, but these snakes are not common to this area. In Austin, if it looks like a coral snake, it probably is one, as they are somewhat common to this area. On the other hand, I have found escaped pet Milksnakes in Austin. There are NO recorded deaths related to Coral snake bites in the state of Texas.
Texas Coral Snake
(Micrurus tenerr - wiki)
The Texas Coral Snake is a slender snake averaging 2 feet in length.
This snake has red, yellow, and black bands encircling the body, with the red touching the yellow. Although venomous, these snakes have a hard time injecting venom into a human because of their small head and their short, fixed fangs. Bites usually occur only on the hand on or between the fingers, and the snake has to chew in order to inject the venom, and most people do not let them hang on for long enough to do serious damage! They are usually encountered by people gardening or weeding. Wearing thick gloves is the safest way to avoid problems with the coral snake while gardening.
These snakes feed mainly upon other snakes and sometimes lizards, so they are attracted to yards landscaped with timbers or flagstones since that tends to attract the other smaller snakes on which they can feed. In other parts of Texas, there are found several other snakes which mimic the coral snake's colors, but these snakes are not common to this area. In Austin, if it looks like a coral snake, it probably is one, as they are somewhat common to this area. On the other hand, I have found escaped pet Milksnakes in Austin. There are NO recorded deaths related to Coral snake bites in the state of Texas.
Photo by Steve Schwartzman
Photo by Adam Dawson
Timber Rattlesnake
(Crotalus Horridus - wiki)
Timber Rattlesnakes average 3 to 4 feet in length.
The Timber Rattlesnake, also referred to as the Canebrake Rattlesnake, is generally found in the Central and Eastern piney woods area of Texas. This is a threatened species protected in Texas. A few have been found in Bastrop County but are extremely rare. The snake's background color is usually a shade of gray, tan, or brown. On the snake's back are dark chevrons or V-shaped bands. An orange stripe of varying shades and width runs from head to tail sometimes fading in the last third portion of the snake. The tail is black or dark brown. They are a mild-mannered snake with potent venom.
Timber Rattlesnake
(Crotalus Horridus - wiki)
Timber Rattlesnakes average 3 to 4 feet in length.
The Timber Rattlesnake, also referred to as the Canebrake Rattlesnake, is generally found in the Central and Eastern piney woods area of Texas. This is a threatened species protected in Texas. A few have been found in Bastrop County but are extremely rare. The snake's background color is usually a shade of gray, tan, or brown. On the snake's back are dark chevrons or V-shaped bands. An orange stripe of varying shades and width runs from head to tail sometimes fading in the last third portion of the snake. The tail is black or dark brown. They are a mild-mannered snake with potent venom.
Photo by Adam Dawson
Photo by Tim Cole
Western Coachwhip
(Masticophis flagellum testaceus - wiki)
The Western Coachwhip is a large, slender snake averaging 4 to 6 feet in length.
They range in color from solid brown or solid tan to wide brown and tan bands. They can move very quickly and feed on reptiles, rodents, and birds. If cornered they can raise the front one-third of their bodies off the ground and they will bite, although they aren't venomous. They will also 'play dead' sometimes by hiding their head under their coils or under the ground to avoid seeing you. When they are in the tall grass, they tend to hold their head high up above the grass for observation. These snakes are diurnal (active in the daytime).
Western Coachwhip
(Masticophis flagellum testaceus - wiki)
The Western Coachwhip is a large, slender snake averaging 4 to 6 feet in length.
They range in color from solid brown or solid tan to wide brown and tan bands. They can move very quickly and feed on reptiles, rodents, and birds. If cornered they can raise the front one-third of their bodies off the ground and they will bite, although they aren't venomous. They will also 'play dead' sometimes by hiding their head under their coils or under the ground to avoid seeing you. When they are in the tall grass, they tend to hold their head high up above the grass for observation. These snakes are diurnal (active in daytime).
Photo by Adam Dawson
Photo by Steve Schwartzman
Photo by Ed Acuña
Western Cottonmouth
(Agkistrodon Piscivorus Leucostoma - wiki)
The Western Cottonmouth is a heavy-bodied snake averaging 2 to 3 feet in length.
Adult coloration can be almost all black, with a little bit of brown, or they can appear as black and brown-banded. The juvenile pattern is much more pronounced with the tip of the tail a greenish-yellow. This snake isn't common in the Austin area. I've never seen one here in Travis County, but I get a lot of calls from people who think that they have seen one, and it has always been a water snake. They have never been recorded in Williamson County.
The Cottonmouth likes slow-moving water or quiet ponds without a lot of human activity, they feed on frogs, fish, rodents, and birds. They like to sit very still and blend into their surroundings. If bothered, they will first try to get away, but if cornered they will be open their mouth and gape, showing their characteristic white mouth. Most snakes have a white mouth, so this is not a way to identify this snake. When sitting in the water, they float on the top of the water. They hold their head elevated, with their body and tail also on top of the water.
Juveniles have a distinctive banding pattern and, like copperheads, a bright green tail tip. As they get older, they tend to darken up, losing much of this banding pattern and becoming almost solid-colored, and losing the green color on the tail.
Western Cottonmouth
(Agkistrodon Piscivorus Leucostoma - wiki)
The Western Cottonmouth is a heavy-bodied snake averaging 2 to 3 feet in length.
Adult coloration can be almost all black, with a little bit of brown, or they can appear as black and brown-banded. The juvenile pattern is much more pronounced with the tip of the tail a greenish-yellow. This snake isn't common in the Austin area. I've never seen one here in Travis County, but I get a lot of calls from people who think that they have seen one, and it has always been a water snake. They have never been recorded in Williamson County.
The Cottonmouth likes slow-moving water or quiet ponds without a lot of human activity, they feed on frogs, fish, rodents, and birds. They like to sit very still and blend into their surroundings. If bothered, they will first try to get away, but if cornered they will be open their mouth and gape, showing their characteristic white mouth. Most snakes have a white mouth, so this is not a way to identify this snake. When sitting in the water, they float on the top of the water. They hold their head elevated, with their body and tail also on top of the water.
Juveniles have a distinctive banding pattern and, like copperheads, a bright green tail tip. As they get older, they tend to darken up, losing much of this banding pattern and becoming almost solid-colored, and losing the green color on the tail.
Photo by Steve Schwartzman
Photo by Adam Dawson
Photo by Ed Acuña