Relative Lengths of Vermont 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. (You can click the chart for a larger image.) 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 (inches) of Large Adults (top 10%) | Longest Reported in Vermont (Total Body Length (TBL) in inches) |
n (of top 10%) | 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 | Will Johnson & Hunter 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 |
| Milksnake | 40.5 | 43.5 | 18 | Emily Hartz & UVM Herpetology Class |
| Timber Rattlesnake | 53 | 54 | 7 | Alcott Smith & Forrest Hammond |
| Northern 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 |