Frequently Asked Questions

Nongame Wildlife

How many snakes are in Texas, which ones are poisonous?

The 68 species of Texas snakes. Snakes are specialized for capturing particular kinds of prey such as earthworms, snails, slugs, amphibians, rodents, birds, and even other snakes. Of the 113 species and subspecies of snakes, less than 15% are venomous. We can divide these snakes into four main groups: rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, copperheads, and coral snakes. It should be remembered that snakes fill very special roles in our ecosystem. The majority are totally harmless. Moreover, they help control rodents and other pest species and perform other exceedingly important ecological services.