List of snakes of South Dakota

Last updated April 23, 2024

Snakes of South Dakota ^[1]
Common name	Scientific name	Distribution (within South Dakota)	Description
Brown snake	Storeria dekayi	eastern Roberts County (status in question; last formal reported sighting in 1922)	8 - 15 inches in length, greyish-brown to reddish-brown colouration, with light stripe down the center of the back (bordered by parallel row of dark spots), and dark markings under and/or behind each eye
Bullsnake	Pituophis catenifer	All portions of the state west of the Missouri River, all counties adjacent to the east bank of the Missouri River, and across southeastern and central South Dakota	36 - 72 inches in length, yellowish colouration (with brown or black blotches that appear as rings near the tail)
Common garter snake (sometimes called the "red-sided garter snake")	Thamnophis sirtalis	throughout the state	15 - 28 inches in length, bright yellow or orange stripe along middle of the back, yellow or orange stripe along each side, with black spots on red colouration also along both sides
Eastern hognose snake	Heterodon platirhinos	extreme southeastern fringe of the state	20 - 33 inches in length, slightly upturned snout (as compared to the Plains hognose snake), highly variable in colouration (with dark blotches along center, and alternating spots on each side)
Fox snake	Elaphe vulpina	far southeastern South Dakota	36 - 54 inches in length, yellowish to light brown in colouration (with bold blotches)
Lined snake	Tropidoclonion lineatum	far southeastern South Dakota	9 - 15 inches in length, grey or brown in colouration (with three pale stripes; one along the back, and one each along either side)
Milk snake ("pale" subspecies)	Lampropeltis triangulum multistrata (a variety of "kingsnake")	the pale milk snake subspecies is found throughout that portion of the state west of the Missouri River, as well as in counties adjacent to the river's east bank	16 - 28 inches in length, red and orange blotches bordered with black, and separated by yellow or white bands (head is orange with black flecks)
Milk snake ("red" subspecies)	Lampropeltis triangulum syspila (a variety of "kingsnake")	the red milk snake subspecies is found in far southeastern South Dakota	16 - 28 inches in length, red and orange blotches bordered with black, and separated by yellow or white bands (with red head & snout)
Plains garter snake	Thamnophis radix	throughout the state	20 - 28 inches in length, bright yellow or orange stripe along middle of the back, with yellow or orange stripe & alternating row of dark spots along each side, with dark head
Plains hognose snake	Heterodon nasicus	throughout the state	15 - 25 inches in length, sharply upturned snout (as compared to the eastern hognose snake), dark blotches along center and sides of body, blackish underside
Prairie rattlesnake	Crotalus viridis	throughout that portion of the state west of the Missouri river, as well as in counties adjacent to the river's east bank	30 - 45 inches in length, South Dakota's only venomous snake (bite is potentially fatal to humans), readily identifiable by rattle segment(s) at the end of the tail, light brown to greenish in colouration, triangular-shaped head with pits located below the midline of each eye & nostril
Racer (sometimes called the "blue racer")	Coluber constrictor foxii	throughout that portion of the state west of the Missouri River, as well as in counties adjacent to the river's east bank	30 - 50 inches in length, adults are blue to greenish in colouration (with a bright yellow belly), while juveniles have an ornate blotched, spotted, and speckled pattern
Redbelly snake ("Black Hills" subspecies)	Storeria occipitomaculata pahasapae	the Black Hills redbelly snake subspecies is found within the Black Hills of South Dakota	8 - 11 inches in length, slender body with grey, brown, or reddish-brown colouration, with a white chin, red belly, light spots on neck, and faint light stripe(s) along the back
Redbelly snake ("northern" subspecies)	Storeria occipitomaculata occipitomaculata	the northern redbelly snake subspecies is found in extreme eastern South Dakota	8 - 11 inches in length, slender body with grey, brown, or reddish-brown colouration, with a white chin, red belly, light spots on neck, and faint light stripe(s) along the back
Ringneck snake	Diadophis punctatus	far southeastern South Dakota	10 - 15 inches in length, dark (black or grey) upper body, a yellow or orange belly (with black spots), and a bright yellow or yellow-orange ring around the neck
Smooth green snake	Liochlorophis vernalis	non-contiguous regions of far northeastern and far southeastern South Dakota, plus a third pocket in the Black Hills	14 - 20 inches in length, small and slender, with uniformly green upper body, head, and tail (and a whitish belly)
Wandering garter snake	Thamnophis elegans vagrans^[2]	the Black Hills	18 - 30 inches in length, dull brown to greenish in colouration, yellow or orange mid-dorsal stripe on each side, a brown head (with yellow spots) and black bars on the lips
Water snake (sometimes called the "northern water snake")	Nerodia sipedon	southern riverine and wetland areas of Bon Homme County (near Springfield)	24 - 42 inches in length, dark brown to grey in colouration, dark upper bands on front part of body, alternating dark blotches or crossbands on the rear portion of the upper body (juveniles are lighter in color)

Related Research Articles

South Dakota is a landlocked state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota Sioux tribe, which comprises a large portion of the population with nine reservations currently in the state and has historically dominated the territory. South Dakota is the 17th largest by area, but the 5th least populous, and the 5th least densely populated of the 50 United States. Pierre is the state capital, and Sioux Falls, with a population of about 213,900, is South Dakota's most populous city. The state is bisected by the Missouri River, dividing South Dakota into two geographically and socially distinct halves, known to residents as "East River" and "West River". South Dakota is bordered by North Dakota to the north, Minnesota to the east, Iowa to the southeast, Nebraska to the south, Wyoming to the west, and Montana to the northwest.

Corson County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,902. Its county seat is McIntosh. The county was named for Dighton Corson, a native of Maine, who came to the Black Hills in 1876, and in 1877 began practicing law at Deadwood.

Kingsnakes are colubrid New World members of the genus Lampropeltis, which includes 26 species. Among these, about 45 subspecies are recognized. They are nonvenomous and ophiophagous in diet.

The St. Croix Chippewa Indians are a historical Band of Ojibwe located along the St. Croix River, which forms the boundary between the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. The majority of the St. Croix Band are divided into two groups: the federally recognized St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin, and the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Minnesota, who are one of four constituent members forming the federally recognized Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. The latter is one of six bands in the federally recognized Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snake River (St. Croix River tributary)</span> River in Minnesota, United States

The Snake River is a 104-mile-long (167 km) tributary of the St. Croix River in east-central Minnesota in the United States. It is one of three streams in Minnesota with this name. Its name is a translation from the Ojibwa Ginebigo-ziibi, after the Dakota peoples who made their homes along this river. Kanabec County's name is derived from the Ojibwe word for this river.

Coluber constrictor flaviventris, commonly known as the eastern yellow-bellied racer, is a subspecies of the eastern racer, non-venomous colubrid snake. It is endemic to North America.

Lake Francis Case is a large reservoir impounded by Fort Randall Dam on the Missouri River in south-central South Dakota, United States. The lake has an area of 102,000 acres (410 km²) and a maximum depth of 140 ft (43 m). Lake Francis Case has a length of approximately 107 mi (172 km) and has a shoreline of 540 mi (870 km). The lake is the eleventh-largest reservoir in the United States and is located within the counties of: Charles Mix, Gregory, Lyman, Brule, and Buffalo. The lake stretches from Pickstown, South Dakota upstream to Big Bend Dam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood Run Site</span> United States historic place

The Blood Run Site is an archaeological site on the border of the US states of Iowa and South Dakota. The site was essentially populated for 8,500 years, within which earthworks structures were built by the Oneota Culture and occupied by descendant tribes such as the Ioway, Otoe, Missouri, and shared with Quapaw and later Kansa, Osage, and Omaha people. The site was so named on account of the iron-stained soil.

South Dakota is a state located in the north-central United States. It is usually considered to be in the Midwestern region of the country. The state can generally be divided into three geographic regions: eastern South Dakota, western South Dakota, and the Black Hills. Eastern South Dakota is lower in elevation and higher in precipitation than the western part of the state, and the Black Hills are a low, isolated mountain group in the southwestern corner of the state. Smaller sub-regions in the state include the Coteau des Prairies, Missouri Coteau, James River Valley, and the Dissected Till Plains. Geologic formations in South Dakota range in age from two billion-year-old Precambrian granite in the Black Hills to glacial till deposited over the last few million years. South Dakota is the 17th-largest state in the country.

The South Dakota Department of Transportation (SDDOT) is a state government organization in charge of maintaining public roadways of the U.S. state of South Dakota. South Dakota has 82,447 miles of highways, roads and streets, as well as 5,905 bridges. The SDDOT is responsible for 7,830 miles of the roadway system.

Reptile Gardens is a reptile-focused zoo located in south of Rapid City, South Dakota, on the road to Mount Rushmore National Memorial. The park is open from the first Saturday of March through November 30 each year. Reptile Gardens was cited in the 2014 Guinness World Records for being the world's largest reptile zoo. It was re-certified in the 2018 edition.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to South Dakota:

Snake Creek may refer to:

Athol is an unincorporated community in Spink County, South Dakota, United States. It is part of Athol Township.

Snake Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of South Dakota. It is a tributary of Missouri River.

Snake Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of South Dakota. It is a tributary of Grand River.

Snake Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of South Dakota. It is a tributary of James River.

Snake Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of South Dakota. It is a tributary of South Fork Grand River.

Snake Creek Recreation Area is a South Dakota state recreation area in Charles Mix County, South Dakota in the United States. The recreation area is 695 acres (281 ha) and lies along the shores of Lake Francis Case, a reservoir on the Missouri River. The area is open for year-round recreation including camping, swimming, fishing, hiking and boating. There are 115 campsites, 10 camper cabins, and a full-service marina. The recreation area is 14 miles (23 km) west of Platte.

References

↑ South Dakota Snakes: A Field Guide to Snake Identification, by Steve Thompson and Doug Blacklund, a publication of the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, 1998
↑ CaliforniaHerps.com, "Thamnophis elegans vagrans - Wandering Gartersnake," (retrieved on August 2nd, 2011).

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] South Dakota Snakes: A Field Guide to Snake Identification, by Steve Thompson and Doug Blacklund, a publication of the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, 1998

[2] CaliforniaHerps.com, "Thamnophis elegans vagrans - Wandering Gartersnake," (retrieved on August 2nd, 2011).

[1]

[2]