Relative Lengths of Snakes

This chart was compiled by Michael Iacchetta using snake-length data from the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas Database during February of 2013. Snakes were ranked in size order, and the longest 10% from each species were included in the data for the chart.

These are the lengths you should expect for mature breeding adults of these species in Vermont. The length in red is the longest, reliably documented snake of that species from Vermont. Can you document a larger one?

In the table below, the lengths in the left hand column are the lengths you should expect for mature breeding adults of these species in Vermont. The length on the right is the largest reliably-documented snake of that species from Vermont. The third numerical column represents the number of individuals found within the top 10% of records for that species. Can you document a larger one?

Length Data for the Longest (Top 10%) Vermont Snakes
Measured in inches from the tip of the nose to the tail (TBL)
Species Average Length Longest Reported in Vermont Sample Size Person(s) Who Recorded Longest
Red-bellied Snake 11.5 13 33 Kiley Briggs
DeKay’s Brownsnake 16 16.5 7 Jim and Kris Andrews
Ring-necked Snake 16.5 17 14 W. Johnson, H. Robinson, Take PART
Smooth Greensnake 21 24 7 Chris and Clara Slesar & Adrie Kusserow
Eastern Ribbonsnake 34.5 40 10 Murray McHugh & Roberta Summers
Common Gartersnake 28.5 41 127 Eric Wardie
Eastern Milksnake 40.5 43.5 18 Emily Hartz & UVM Herpetology Class
Timber Rattlesnake 53 54 7 Alcott Smith & Forrest Hammond
Common Watersnake 49 54.5 11 UVM Herpetology Class
North American Racer 68.5 70.5 5 Jim Andrews
Eastern Ratsnake 71.5 75 11 VT Agency of Transportation Field Trip