Snakes conjure up unfriendly mental images. Many people are simply scared of snakes which shouldn't be the case because all snakes help control rat and mouse populations and provide a food source for birds of prey and other animals that humans consider desirable. They are important to our ecosystem!
Poisonous snake bites only kill about 7 people in the United States every year. Snakes do not see humans as a food source and will not strike unless they feel threatened.
Arkansas only has 6 venomous snakes which include:
Copperhead
Copperheads come in a variety of colors, most commonly light brown to rust. All variations have a distinct hourglass pattern of dark cross-bands that flare out at the belly and narrow at the back. Adults are typically two feet in length. They have vertical eye pupils and boxy heads. Their venom is hemotoxic, but it's not very potent and rarely causes fatalities. Normally they are shy and very beneficial for controlling rodent populations.
Pygmy Rattlesnake
This small member of the rattlesnake family is often mistaken for a baby rattlesnake. They are actually full grown at one to two feet. They do have a rattle but it's too small to be seen or heard from a distance. They are generally slate-gray in color with a reddish stripe down the backbone and black cross bands. The venom potency and the size of snake make it hard for them to deliver enough venom to kill a human.
Cottonmouth / Water Moccasin
The Cottonmouth is a large bodied snake whose head is wider than its body. They come in shades from black, to brown, to dark olive and everything in between. Younger snakes have an hourglass pattern. As they get older, the pattern fades and they appear solid-colored. This is an aggressive snake (i.e. they are mean!). Cottonmouths will often stand their ground or even be aggressive when encountered by coiling and opening their mouths to show the "cotton" inside. This is a warning to get away which should be heeded! They also have vertical eye pupils and boxy heads.
Coral Snake
The Coral Snake is probably the most easily identifiable venomous snake in Arkansas. This is the pretty snake with the red, yellow and black bands. There is a harmless species of king snake which mimics this coloration (you might remember the poem "red on yellow kills a fellow"). I recommend leaving all snakes with similar coloration alone because these poems are easy to confuse and not always fool proof. Coral snake venom is highly neurotoxic but the snakes are generally small and not aggressive. They are rarely seen.
Timber Rattlesnake
The Timber Rattlesnake is becoming more and more rare as people normally kill rattlesnakes on sight. Adults can reach to 5 feet but smaller snakes are more common.
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
The Western Diamondback is the largest venomous snake in Arkansas. They are aggressive and have very potent venom. The snake is easy to identify. First, look for a rattle. When threatened this snake will coil and make the typical rattlesnake sound. Second, look for the distinctive diamond pattern. The backbone of the snake has dark colored diamonds surrounded by white outlines. They also have vertical eye pupils and boxy heads.
Copperheads come in a variety of colors, most commonly light brown to rust. All variations have a distinct hourglass pattern of dark cross-bands that flare out at the belly and narrow at the back. Adults are typically two feet in length. They have vertical eye pupils and boxy heads. Their venom is hemotoxic, but it's not very potent and rarely causes fatalities. Normally they are shy and very beneficial for controlling rodent populations.
actually full grown at one to two feet. They do have a rattle but it's too small to be seen or heard from a distance. They are generally slate-gray in color with a reddish stripe down the backbone and black cross bands. The venom potency and the size of snake make it hard for them to deliver enough venom to kill a human. 
The Cottonmouth is a large bodied snake whose head is wider than its body. They come in shades from black, to brown, to dark olive and everything in between. Younger snakes have an hourglass pattern. As they get older, the pattern fades and they appear solid-colored. This is an aggressive snake (i.e. they are mean!). Cottonmouths will often stand their ground or even be aggressive when encountered by coiling and opening their mouths to show the "cotton" inside. This is a warning to get away which should be heeded! They also have vertical eye pupils and boxy heads. 
snake with the red, yellow and black bands. There is a harmless species of king snake which mimics this coloration (you might remember the poem "red on yellow kills a fellow"). I recommend leaving all snakes with similar coloration alone because these poems are easy to confuse and not always fool proof. Coral snake venom is highly neurotoxic but the snakes are generally small and not aggressive. They are rarely seen. 
The Timber Rattlesnake is becoming more and more rare as people normally kill rattlesnakes on sight. Adults can reach to 5 feet but smaller snakes are more common. 
have very potent venom. The snake is easy to identify. First, look for a rattle. When threatened this snake will coil and make the typical rattlesnake sound. Second, look for the distinctive diamond pattern. The backbone of the snake has dark colored diamonds surrounded by white outlines. They also have vertical eye pupils and boxy heads.
