This is a list of all venomous snakes found in the United States and Canada, not including the Yellow-bellied Sea Snake, which occasionally reaches southern California, or several rear-fanged colubrid (i.e., typical) snakes like garter and hognose snakes that have a mild venom but generally aren't as dangerous as front-fanged snakes. The front-fanged snakes in this list consist of 3 species of coral snakes, part of the Elapidae family that also includes the cobras, mambas, and sea snakes, and 19 species of pit vipers, a subfamily (Crotalinae) within the Viperidae that includes our copperhead, cottonmouth, and rattlesnakes. The greatest diversity of venomous snakes on this continent occurs in the desert southwest, with several rare Mexican species barely reaching the mountains of southern Arizona.
