Snakes of Georgia
Georgia DNR counts 47 snake species in the state — among the highest snake diversity in the country — and seven of them are venomous. Here is every one, and where in Georgia it actually lives.
Venomous Snakes of Georgia
Six pit vipers and one coral snake. Sizes and ranges are Georgia DNR’s own fact sheets and brochure; where the two disagree, both figures are shown.
Pit vipers
Six of Georgia’s seven. DNR: “pit vipers, which include all venomous species native to Georgia except for coral snakes”.
Copperhead
UGA SREL: Eastern Copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix
- Size
- 24–30 in typical; 52 in record
- Range
- Most of Georgia except the southeastern corner
DNR notes the copperhead “usually thrives in suburban areas” — the one most likely to turn up near a house.
Species guideNorthern Cottonmouth
Agkistrodon piscivorus
- Size
- Commonly to 4 ft; largest just under 6 ft
- Range
- Mostly the Coastal Plain, up the western side; absent from the northeast
Florida Cottonmouth
Agkistrodon conanti
- Size
- Not separately stated by DNR
- Range
- Not separately stated by DNR
Recognised as a separate species in DNR’s brochure but absent from its own per-species fact sheets. This is the species behind the six-versus-seven count.
Species guideEastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnake
Also Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
Crotalus adamanteus
- Size
- 3–5 ft typical, to 7 ft
- Range
- South of the Fall Line, in the Coastal Plain
The largest venomous snake in Georgia by every source.
Species guideTimber Rattlesnake
Also Canebrake Rattlesnake
Crotalus horridus
- Size
- To nearly 6 ft on the Coastal Plain, about 5 ft in the mountains
- Range
- Effectively statewide except the extreme southwest
DNR’s newer brochure adds that Piedmont distribution is “highly fragmented due to habitat loss”.
Species guidePigmy Rattlesnake
UGA SREL: Pygmy Rattlesnake
Sistrurus miliarius
- Size
- 16–21 in usual; 31 in record
- Range
- Carolina subspecies in the Piedmont and mountains; Dusky in the lower Coastal Plain
The smallest venomous snake in the state.
Species guideCoral snakes
Family Elapidae. The only non-pit-viper in Georgia.
Eastern Coral Snake
Micrurus fulvius
- Size
- Females to nearly 3 ft; males around 2 ft
- Range
- Mainly the Coastal Plain, plus a lower Piedmont population along the Flint River
Georgia DNR says 47 species and seven venomous. The Georgia Poison Center says 46 and six. The entire difference is the cottonmouth: DNR now splits it into Northern and Florida cottonmouth, the Poison Center treats it as one animal. Nobody disputes that cottonmouths are dangerous — it is a taxonomy argument, not a safety one.
What to Do About a Bite
Every step below is one that CDC NIOSH, the Georgia agencies and poison control all agree on. Snakebite is a medical emergency; nothing here replaces calling for help.
Do
- Call 911, or Poison Help on 1-800-222-1222.
- Get away from the snake. Do not try to catch or kill it.
- Stay calm and still, and take off rings, watches and anything tight.
- Wash the bite and cover it with a clean dry dressing.
- Get to hospital. Call ahead so antivenom is ready.
Do not
- Do not cut the wound or try to suck out venom.
- Do not apply a tourniquet or anything that restricts blood flow.
- Do not pack it in ice or immerse it in cold water.
- Do not use electric shock, alcohol, or painkillers you were not told to take.
On limb position: agencies disagree. Some say keep the bite below heart level, CDC NIOSH says a neutral position. We are not going to arbitrate medical guidance, so the step is left out here — follow whatever the emergency operator tells you.
~7,000–8,000
venomous snakebites a year in the US (CDC NIOSH)
about 5
deaths a year in the US (CDC NIOSH)
1-800-222-1222
Georgia Poison Center
No Georgia source publishes a Georgia-specific annual bite count. A UGA study of 308 reported copperhead bites over ten years recorded no deaths.
What to wear: UGA SREL: “always wear closed shoes and long pants when walking through woods”. CDC NIOSH: boots and long pants, leather gloves for brush and debris.
Full detail on our snake bite first aid page, and snake gaiters for Georgia for the lower-leg cover those agencies keep recommending.
Where this came from
Species names, sizes, ranges and bite figures are taken from the agencies below. Where they disagree with each other, this page says so rather than picking the number that reads best.