1
Racer
Hierophis viridiflavus
A fast, slender Mediterranean colubrid with smooth scales and a yellow-and-black adult pattern, capable of speeds that match a sprinting person.
If you've been searching for snakes that start with R, you'll find 8 detailed snakes below. We're not interested in giving you only a list of names — every entry on this page links to a full profile with the kind of detail you'd actually want to know.
For snakes, that means scientific name, family, length, venom status, diet, habitat, and conservation status.
List of Snakes That Start With R
2
Rat Snake
Pantherophis alleghaniensis
A large, climbing, non-venomous constrictor of eastern North America that hunts rodents in barns, attics, and bird boxes.
3
Reticulated Python
Malayopython reticulatus
The longest snake species in the world, a slender Southeast Asian giant with a complex network-like geometric pattern.
4
Rhinoceros Viper
Bitis nasicornis
A spectacularly patterned West and Central African viper with two or three horns at the tip of the snout.
5
Ribbon Snake
Thamnophis sauritus
A long, thin striped garter-snake relative that hunts frogs along the edges of clean ponds and streams in eastern North America.
6
Ringneck Snake
Diadophis punctatus
A small, slate-grey North American snake with a vivid orange neck ring and belly, often found under logs and flat stones.
7
Rough Green Snake
Opheodrys aestivus
A slim emerald-green arboreal colubrid of the eastern United States that hunts caterpillars and spiders in low foliage.
8
Russell Viper
Daboia russelii
A heavy, irritable South Asian viper named for Scottish naturalist Patrick Russell, responsible for tens of thousands of fatal bites each year.
About snakes starting with R
That's our current list of snakes starting with the letter R. We add new entries every week — if you have a favorite snake starting with R that isn't on this page, let us know and we'll write it up.
Looking for more? Try snakes that end with R, or contain R anywhere in the name.