This a quick reference to venomous snakes in the USA. There are things to remember when spotting one to see whether it is deadly or not. I have included a Wikipedia link to the various species if you wish to learn more about location, habitat, etc.

First up is the Coral Snake. As you can see the red and yellow bands are touching. I've always remembered the phrase "If red touches yellow, it can kill a fellow". There are other phrases but this one works for me.


In the pic below, you see that red touches black in the Scarlet King Snake.



There are other species of king snake but they are also non venomous.

---

Another species difficult for some to identify is whether it is a Copperhead or a Corn Snake. Beyond the vague color differences, the first thing to look at is the head. Venomous snakes in the US have a wide head especially around the eyes and jaw. These are where the venom glands are, which is why their heads are so big. Take a moment to see the differences below.



Corn Snake - small head



Copperhead - large head

The same thing applies to the Blacksnake and Cottonmouth below. Blacksnake small head, cottonmouth large head. Plus also the cottonmouth has a white or ivory color inside the mouth, hence the name. Blacksnakes do not.





The Cottonmouth is also known as the Water Moccasin (below)

---

Rattlesnakes. There are 32 main species of rattlers, all classified into the Pit Viper family. The trademark indicator, besides the rattle (not all of them have rattles), is the bulbous heads and thick bodies. Below are a few pics of what rattlesnakes look like, but for a better idea, please consult the links provided. They may or may not be in your area (like the sidewinder is indigenous to desert-like terrain in the western US). Again, visit this Rattlesnake link for more details.







Feel free to expound on this