Snakes come in an impressive range of colors, and many of them exhibit multiple colors and markings. The reptiles’ coloring is often the result of million-year-old evolutionary adaptations to their native habitat.
The distinct coloring allows snakes to blend in their ecosystem more effectively, which helps with hunting and avoiding predation.
And then you have blue snakes. Blue snakes aren’t quite widespread, but they aren’t that rare, either. If you haven’t encountered any in the wild, welcome because I am going to discuss 11 of them.
These are the most popular blue snakes that you actually have a chance of encountering in the wild.
1. Blue Racer (Coluber Constrictor Foxii)
The blue racer is an intriguing one thanks to its distinct coloring and color variation. Not all specimens are blue. Most are generally a mix of dark blue and grey, while others showcase more intense silvery nuances.
And then you have the pure neon blue racers that can really make an impact. Some individuals also come with black eye patches for a plus of personality and a piratesque look.
Blue racers are generally medium-sized, growing up to 60 inches max. These reptiles are known to be agile and very speedy, capable of darting through their habitat at impressive velocities.
These snakes are more common in the central US, especially Arkansas, Mississippi, and Minnesota. The snakes’ agility works great with their preferred habitats, which include prairies, grasslands, and open fields with little vegetation.
The snake’s primary meals include mammals, birds, lizards, and anything else that can’t escape the reptile’s hunting tactics.
Unlike most snake species, blue racers aren’t the sit-and-wait type. Instead, they rely on their swiftness to hunt and catch their prey. They then use their bodies to constrict the animal until it’s dead and ready to eat.
In the wild, blue racers aren’t typically aggressive, as they rely on their speed to leave the area in case of being threatened. However, they don’t shy away from biting if cornered or provoked, and they’re likely to inflict serious wounds.
Blue racers aren’t venomous, but their bites can cause infections if not sterilized in time. So, keep your distance.
2. Blue Malayan Coral Snake (Calliophis Sirtalis Similis)
The blue Malayan coral snake looks as exotic as it sounds. This reptile can reach 6.5 feet in the wild, although most individuals will stay smaller than that. The snake has a very slim and athletic body with a red head and tail tip.
The rest of the body is generally blue, but the color intensity can vary between different individuals. The snake’s scales are also very noticeable due to its distinct coloring.
The snake’s dorsal area is dark blue, but the scales have light blue margins, making the separations between them stand out.
They also appear as small honeycombs as they have the exact same shape. There’s no denying that the Malayan coral snake is a beautiful specimen, but it is dangerous.
The answer is yes. This snake is venomous, as it belongs to the Elapidae family, and the venom itself is rather unique. The snake’s bite can inflict almost instant paralysis, at least in smaller prey. Despite this, the venom is not neurotoxic but cytotoxic.
The paralysis effect is obtained by the venom blocking the victim’s sodium channels, which affects the functioning of the central nervous system. So, the snake’s bite will obtain the same neurotoxic effect but without being neurotoxic itself.
You can find this reptile primarily in Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. The snake prefers forests as its main dwelling area and prioritizes warm and humid ecosystems with a lot of vegetation.
And trees, a lot of trees. This species is arboreal and relies on its agility and camouflage to surprise and strike its prey. The venom does the rest.
3. Blue Krait (Bungarus Candidus)
Blue kraits are your typical banded snakes that can come in several color variations. The one you’re looking for is blue and black, but other variations exist, like white and black or gold and black. The blue version is the most popular.
This snake can reach up to 3.5 feet, so it stays relatively small. The snake’s body is long and slim, with an innocuous head and small eyes. The tail tip is very long.
These snakes are highly venomous, despite them not looking like it. The venom itself is neurotoxic, so it can inflict paralysis and cause respiratory failure relatively fast. It also doesn’t help that the blue krait can camouflage very well, so you won’t get to see it until you’re already very close.
Fortunately, blue kraits are not excessively aggressive and will leave the area if you move slowly and don’t provoke or rattle them.
If you want to avoid them in the wild or, on the contrary, you’re out to meet them in person, your destination is Southeast Asia in countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, or Thailand.
Look for rainforests with a lot of vegetation, humidity, and tropical temperatures, and watch your steps near local bodies of water. This is a semi-aquatic species that hunts both on land and in water.
4. Blue Striped Garter Snake (Thamnophis Sirtalis Similis)
The blue-striped garter snake is non-venomous and doesn’t pose a danger to humans. And they sure are pretty. The typical garter snake is small, only growing up to 25 inches, although most individuals won’t get there.
The reptile comes with a lot of black and some faint tints of iridescent blue on the sides and underbelly. The color intensity can vary between the specimens. The snake gets its name from the garter-like pattern with the 3 longitudinal stripes decorating the body.
Garter snakes are fairly common in North America, but you can find them pretty much everywhere on the American continent, from Canada to Mexico. Look for them in semi-aquatic environments, in ecosystems like marshes, swamps, and grasslands with various water bodies nearby.
Garter snakes are known to consume primarily aquatic animals like amphibians, fish, and other reptiles. But they can also eat land creatures like small mammals, birds, rodents, other snakes, and even insects.
They won’t refuse any prey, which is what explains their overall hardiness and adaptability.
Garter snakes won’t bite unless held by force or provoked directly. Otherwise, they prefer to flee and avoid humans altogether.
5. Blue Beauty Rat Snake (Orthriophis Taeniurus Callicyanous)
The blue beauty rat snake is a curious one that’s guaranteed to win you over. This reptile can grow impressively large, up to 6-7 feet, depending on the specimen. The snake is generally blue with a mosaic pattern and a variety of color shades.
Some individuals are light blue, while others get closer to silver and a mix between blue and grey. Then you have the outliers, which come with yellow and green, but they are not the rule.
Blue rat snakes also have black eye patches that stretch across their cheeks, close to the neck. The snake has an elongated rectangle-shaped head, similar to that of standard constrictors like pythons. Although, the jaw muscles aren’t as pronounced.
Blue rat snakes are native to Asia in countries like China, Vietnam, and Thailand and belong to the Colubridae family, just like garter snakes.
You can find rat snakes in forests, agricultural areas, and grasslands, as they prefer vegetation-rich habitats with a warm and humid climate. They are known climbers but can also hunt on the ground when necessary.
Blue rat snakes prefer rodents as their main meals, which should come as no surprise. They also consume birds, other small mammals and reptiles, and anything that they can hunt and constrict to death.
Interestingly, this species is quite tolerant of humans and won’t get easily rattled by the presence of a reckless Homo Sapiens.
Don’t threaten or provoke them, though; they might bite, despite their overall easy-going demeanor.
6. Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon Corais Couperi)
The eastern indigo snake is an even larger species, capable of reaching 8 feet. This one is also a Colubrid, which places them in the same category as garter and rat snakes.
This reptile is fairly robust, with a strong body and prominent honeycomb-like scales. The coloring can be considered blue, but this can be a stretch. That’s because most individuals are either completely black or exhibit mixt colors, blue and black being the norm.
The snake’s head is small with black eyes and round pupils, which recommends it as non-venomous. This reptile prefers to dwell in the pine forests, wetlands, and scrublands of the southeast US in states like Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, or Georgia.
If you want to find one in the wild, look for tortoise burrows. These snakes are notorious trespassers that use tortoise burrows to find shelter and nest.
Eastern indigo snakes are very calm and tolerant of human presence, which explains why they’re so widespread near human settlements, including urban areas.
These snakes are constrictors and feed primarily on rodents, rabbits, birds, snakes, and lizards, among other pests that thrive in their habitat.
So, if you notice an indigo snake near your home, know it’s there to perform its pest-control job. Don’t attack or kill the snake because you’re allies, not enemies.
7. Blue Insularis Taipan (Oxyuranus Temporalis)
I have to recommend the blue insularis taipan as the most beautiful snake on today’s list. This ferocious predator can reach 8 feet in the wild, with some getting even slightly larger than that.
The insular taipan is native to the island of New Caledonia, which is why you haven’t seen it in the wild so far. And I don’t recommend it anyway; this snake is highly venomous and ranks as one of the deadliest animals in the world.
This doesn’t take an ounce from its sheer beauty and majestic presence. The blue taipan, also known as the blue viper, is ocean-blue with light coloring and no visible markings.
The species is highly recognizable by its intense blue coloring, the red, gold, or silver eyes, and its long and powerful body covered with armored scales.
The insular taipan is semi-arboreal and feeds on a variety of animals that inhabit its ecosystem. These include reptiles, birds, amphibians, mammals, etc. The snake’s venom is neurotoxic and extremely potent, capable of killing an adult human within 30 minutes or less.
The cause of death is respiratory failure due to generalized paralysis and scrambling of the central nervous system. You definitely don’t want to mess with this one.
8. White-Lipped Island Pit Viper (Trimeresurus Albolabris Insularis)
This exotic viper comes with a mouthful of a name and an equally exuberant appearance. We should begin by saying that this snake doesn’t look like a viper to begin with. The reptile’s body can reach up to 40-50 inches at most and appears slim and athletic.
The head gives away the snake’s venomous nature thanks to its triangle-like shape, along with the protruding scales and clear vertical pupils.
This viper gets its name from the white coloring of its mouth, which also covers the entire underbelly. The rest of the body is an oceanic blue that’s guaranteed to impress.
An important note here, many pit vipers are green or yellow, which can cause some confusion, especially since they all share the same habitat.
This species is more widespread in Southeast Asia, native to ecosystems like tropical forests and rocky regions. You can also find it near coasts or in the proximity of various bodies of water, despite it not being a semi-aquatic animal.
These vipers are arboreal for the most part and hunt via a combination of ambush and active chasing. Vipers are not afraid to chase their prey if the target animal doesn’t come within strike range on its own.
Like any other viper species, the island pit viper contains a mixed venom, combining neurotoxic and hemotoxic elements for a variety of symptoms. The bite causes hemorrhage, paralysis, and tissue necrosis, among other ‘delightful’ effects.
Needled to say, these vipers are notoriously aggressive and defensive, as they prefer to bite first and flee the scene after.
9. Blue Phase Common Tree Snake (Dendrelaphis Punctulatus)
I should rank this one as the most impressive and unique entry on today’s list. It’s not because of the looks or general behavior but rather the reptile’s ability to fly.
Or, to be more faithful to its actual abilities, to glide between trees. The common tree snake can jump between trees and flatten their bodies in mid-air, which allows them to glide for quite a distance. The maximum recorded is about 300 feet.
Flying squirrels are known for this impressive ability, but to find it in snakes is rare, to say the least. Even more importantly, it is not entirely clear why snakes do it. The theory is that it allows the reptiles to avoid predation and cover more ground faster when in search of food.
This species is also quite handsome, as the snake comes with a long (up to 6 feet) and slim body and the ability to flatten it out. The color of choice is generally blue, and most specimens come with distinct markings and color variations.
The tree snake is typically darker on its dorsal area than the underbelly. The head is oval-shaped and small, with black eyes.
These arboreal snakes are native to Southeast Asia, and you will mostly find them near various water sources, even though they rarely leave the safety of the trees. They are harmless to humans thanks to their lack of venom and shy and docile temperament.
10. Malabar Pit Viper (Craspedocephalus Malabaricus)
Malabar pit vipers are found in the Western Ghats in India and are beautiful but deadly arboreal reptiles. These vipers prefer vegetation-rich environments where they can find shelter from predators and can set up their deadly ambush.
The species itself showcases a vast array of colors, with only several members being blue. Others are orange, brown, green, and even yellow, often with a variety of patterns.
Most markings involve colors like black and brown, depending on the specimen, and are most visible on the head and dorsal area.
These vipers are fearsome predators that use ambush and camouflage to their advantage. The bite is deadly and can incapacitate the prey fairly fast.
It’s important to note that Malabar vipers are extremely aggressive and territorial, as it best suits vipers in general.
Don’t approach the snake if you encounter it in the wild, no matter how small and peaceful it seems. Vipers are known for their volatile temperament.
11. Blue-Lipped Sea Krait (Laticauda Laticaudata)
Blue-lipped sea kraits are exotic reptiles that are mostly found in the Indo-Pacific region.
These snakes prefer to live in the tropical waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans, where they also inhabit a variety of surrounding ecosystems. These include lagoons, coral reefs, and mangrove swamps, preferably with shallow water.
This venomous and colorful killer prefers to feed on eels, which it hunts by entering their burrows and dragging them out. The venom will incapacitate the prey fast, allowing the reptile to consume it fairly rapidly.
The blue-lipped sea krait showcases virtually no color or pattern variation. All individuals are, for all intents and purposes, identical. The snake is a mix of blue and black bands that cover the entire body, transforming the sea krait into the zebra of the reptile world.
The head and tail are similar in shape, although the tail can become flattened during swimming.
Don’t approach the sea krait if you encounter it in the wild. These snakes are likely to bite in self-defense, as they rank as fairly aggressive, especially toward humans invading their habitat.
The snake’s venom is extremely toxic and can kill, depending on the location of the bite and the amount of venom injected.
Conclusion
Snakes exhibit a multitude of different characteristics, color being one of them. There’s no denying that blue species are some of the most beautiful in the world, thanks to their color diversity.
Just make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into when looking to approach the blue snake you’ve just encountered.
They’re not all friendly or harmless.
