Snakes & Reptiles of Tennessee

Venomous Snakes

• Four types of poisonous snakes are found in Tennessee with the most common one being the copperhead. Copperheads have a copper colored head, hence the name. These snakes usually have a tan body color with darker bands stretching the length of the body. The timber rattlesnake is the most venomous snake in Tennessee. It is large, commonly reaching 36 to 60 inches in length. Timber rattlesnakes have a rattle on their tail, which makes them easy to identify. The rarest venomous snake is the pigmy rattlesnake. It is also the smallest, with an average length of 15 to 20 inches. These snakes are found in the floodplain of the Tennessee River in marshy areas, swamps and wet prairies. The western cottonmouth is found west of the Tennessee River. These snakes live in aquatic areas where they feed on fish and aquatic animals. The cottonmouth snake is normally a dull black color.

Non-Venomous Snakes

• There are 28 types of non-venomous snakes commonly found in Tennessee. The largest non-venomous snake is the black ratsnake. These snakes reach lengths of 42 to 72 inches, and are a dark black color. The copperbelly water snake is the rarest non-venomous snake in Tennessee, living in only three counties. The common garter snake is found in many yards, near streams, grassy areas and fields. This average sized snake is 18 to 28 inches long. It has black stripes that normally run the length of the body and a yellow, brown or black body color. Water snakes that are common in Tennessee, including the midland and common watersnake. The smallest snakes are the smooth earth snake and the rough earth snake, which average 7 to 10 inches.

Lizards

• Lizards are a common type of reptile, and there are currently nine different species of lizards in Tennessee. The most common type of lizard found in Tennessee belongs to the Scincidae family, and are better known as skinks. They include coal, little brown, broad-headed, common five lined and southeastern five lined skinks. All of these skinks share certain characteristics, such as small legs and no pronounced neck. They normally have long tails, and almost look snake like in their movements. Each has different color schemes and body patterns. The six-lined racerunner, green anole, eastern fence lizard and slender glass lizard make up the other four species found in Tennessee.

Turtles

• Many different types of turtles are found in Tennessee, including snapping turtles, softshell turtles, mud turtles and box turtles. Both the common and alligator snapping turtles are found in Tennessee. They normally live in shallow ponds, streams and shallow lakes. They can get big, often reaching weights of 30 pounds in the wild. The eastern box turtle is one of the most common turtles found in throughout the state and was actually named the state reptile in 1995. They can live 30 to 60 years and normally are black or brown in color, with yellow or orange spots.