snakes

Eastern CoachWhip

There are six subspecies of coachwhip snakes that are currently recognized, but the Eastern Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum flagellum) is the only one that occurs in Florida. These nonvenomous snakes are one of the longest snakes seen in Florida. Coachwhips are very observant; they often rest or crawl with their head and neck raised above the ground as they scan the environment. They are also excellent climbers.
Adults can reach 42-60 inches in total length. This long, slender snake typically has a dark brown or black head, neck, and front part of the body; towards the back end, it becomes light tan. The head is large and narrow, with large scales over the eyes. Their eyes are large and prominent with round pupils and yellow irises. Juvenile appearances are slightly different, with brown or tan dark cross bands down the neck and back. The juvenile pattern will gradually change to adult one in about two years.
Coachwhips are abundant; their habitat is typically hot and dry with open canopies. These snakes are extremely fast and agile. When approaching, they will typically flee for shelter. Though if cornered, both juveniles and adults will strike an attacker and will rapidly vibrate the tip of their tail, producing a buzzing sound in leaf litter. These snakes are typically nonaggressive, and striking is their last resort.
Coachwhips are diurnal, meaning they are active during the day, predators, they feed on small mammals, birds and their eggs, other reptiles, frogs, and insects. Because these snakes are in Florida, lizards are most likely what make up a primary part of their diet. They are not true constrictors; the snakes overpower their prey by grabbing with their jaws and pressing down against the ground until it stops struggling or by quickly swallowing it alive.
Coachwhips are not true constrictors and overpower their prey by simply grabbing it in their jaws and pressing it against the ground until it stops struggling or by quickly swallowing it alive.
In Florida, females lay around 4-24 eggs. Eggs are laid in loose soil, debris, leaf litter, rotting logs, or animal burrows. Young will hatch between August and September.
Cool Fact! The name “Coachwhip” comes from the large tan scales on its long tail, which looks like a braided bullwhip.
Photo Credit: Aymee Laurain
Author: Destiny Alvarez – Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Oregon
Read more

Ring-necked Snake

ing-necked Snake
The non-venomous Ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus) can be found throughout Florida. These small snakes are usually only 6 – 7- inches long but can grow to 10 inches. Their dark gray body has a yellowish-orange ring around the neck, and the underpart is red, orange, or yellow. Ring-necked snakes reproduce by laying eggs.
Ring-necked snakes are rarely seen since they spend most of their time under rocks, leaf litter, or logs. They prefer moist forested areas but can be found in yards and gardens. Lizards, earthworms, insects, small snakes, salamanders, frogs, and tadpoles make up most of their diet.
Video Credit: Bobby Putnam – Brevard County Lead Education Coordinator
Photo Credit: Dan Kon – rescued lost Ring-necked snake from a department store.
Read more

Florida banded watersnake

Florida banded watersnake, Nerodia fasciata, is a non-venomous, native species of snake found from the coastal areas of the Carolinas, down throughout Florida, and west to Texas.
The watersnake will be more heavily patterned as a juvenile and often become more brown or black with age. The adults range from 2 to 4 feet in length and are primarily fish and frog eaters. They are active most often at night but can be seen basking during the day. They inhabit areas with shallow, slow-moving freshwater such as ponds, lakes, ditches, and retention ponds. The females give birth to live young, numbering from 3-80 babies at a time! Animals such as frogs, fish, alligators, raccoons, opossums, birds, and other carnivorous mammals feed on the Florida watersnake.
Frequently mistaken for the far less common cottonmouth (also known as water moccasin), they are often killed by humans out of fear. If you have one of these native residents too close to your home, spray them with a garden hose to get them to leave. To keep snakes away from your house, remove brush and debris that provide them cover as well as provide homes for their food. There are no effective snake repellents available so if you do not want them near your home, the best thing to do is to keep the area around your house clean and tidy. That way, we all can coexist together!
Photo Credit: Andy Waldo
Read more

Eastern Copperhead

Eastern Copperheads, Agkistrodon contortrix, are beautiful snakes that are most often found in wet forested areas. Copperheads are thick-bodied and adults grow to 22-36 inches long. Their alternating light and dark colors provide extraordinary camouflage on the forest floor. Meals consist of lizards, amphibians, insects, birds, small mammals, and other snakes.

In the spring, male Copperheads will travel long distances to find a mate. Females give birth to 7-20 live young in the summer. The little ones, who are born with a color pattern like their parents, wiggle their bright yellow tails to attract lizards and frogs for a tasty meal.

Copperheads are venomous snakes. Like all snakes, they only strike out at humans when they are defending themselves. Watch your step. Because they are masters at camouflage, Copperheads can easily be stepped upon. Luckily, the venom is not very potent and deaths are rare. However, if you are bitten by a Copperhead, be sure to seek medical attention immediately.

Fun Fact: Copperheads are pit vipers. A pit viper senses small temperature changes in its surroundings. This allows it to strike out with accuracy at the perceived danger or prey.

Map: UF IFAS Extension University of Florida
Photo Credit: Dan Kon

Read more

Eastern Indigo Snake

Eastern Indigo Snake
Snakes! There are few animals that evoke the kind of emotions in people that snakes do. Some love them. Some hate them. Some are indifferent to them. Despite how you may feel about snakes, they play an important role in the ecosystems they inhabit.
Allow me to introduce you to the Eastern Indigo, Drymarchon couperi. The eastern indigo is the largest snake species in North America. Males can reach a length of 8.5 feet and up to 11 pounds (Females stay smaller, rarely larger than 6 feet)! The genus name Drymarchon translates to “forest ruler” and this species most certainly fits that bill!
They are heavy-bodied snakes with beautiful, iridescent black bodies. They often have some coloration on their chin, either white or red, but can also be solid black. Eastern indigo snakes can be found throughout Florida, the coastal plain of southern Georgia, and extreme south Alabama. Their historic range also extended into extreme southeast Mississippi but they have been extirpated from there. In Alabama, they have been reintroduced to the forests as part of an ongoing effort to recover this species (More on that in an exciting upcoming post). The panhandle population has also experienced an extreme reduction in numbers and efforts are underway to restore the population in those areas too.
The eastern indigo feeds on just about anything it can swallow. Mammals, birds, turtles, amphibians, fish, and even other snakes make up the average diet of this species. The indigo is not a constrictor. They kill their prey by overpowering them with their superior size and strong jaws, swallowing prey headfirst. Because of their preference for eating snakes, including venomous species, many people have left this species alone rather than removing them.
Eastern Indigos are big snakes. And big snakes lay big eggs! When a female lays a group of eggs, that group is called a clutch. The average clutch size is 7 eggs but can be as large as 12 eggs.
The indigo mates from October through February. Eggs are laid in May or June with hatchlings emerging in August and September. Little is known about egg sites for wild indigos but it is suspected the areas near gopher tortoise burrows are used.
This big snake needs big room. Scientists tracking wild indigos have found that their home range can be as large as 3,000 acres! This makes it clear that one of the biggest threats is to this species. They need space and lots of it!
The Eastern indigo is a threatened species across its entire range. One of the main reasons for their decline is the decline of the longleaf pine ecosystem. As the longleaf pine ecosystem was logged, fragmented, and altered by fire suppression, the animals that rely on it also declined. Gopher tortoises are important to many species, including indigo snakes. Indigos seek shelter in the burrows of the gopher tortoise and as tortoise populations have fallen, so has the indigo population.
Photo Credit: Dan Kon, Nancy Kon, Andy Waldo
Images captured at the Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation
Read more

Eastern Coral Snake

Eastern Coral snakes, Micrurus fulvius, have a bright, glossy, distinct pattern. Their heads are black and their tails are yellow and black. Red and black rings separated by thin yellow rings make up the rest of their body.

An adult Coral snake will grow to 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 feet long. Prey consists of frogs, lizards, and other snakes. Coral snakes are the only venomous snakes in Florida that are part of the cobra (Elapidae) family, therefore, they lay eggs.

From scrubs to swamps, Eastern Coral snakes can be found in numerous habitats throughout Florida. Because they spend most of their time hiding under logs or underground, an occasional Coral snake sighting can be a wonderful discovery.

A bite from this venomous snake is extremely rare, however, their bites are dangerous to pets and people. Bites occur when the Coral snake is threatened. When you discover a coral snake, simply give it space so we can peacefully coexist.

Photo credit: Dan Kon

Read more

Pygmy Rattlesnake

Pygmy rattlesnakes (Sistrurus miliarius) are found throughout Florida. They are found in various habitats in the wild and are the most common venomous snake to make an appearance in a Florida yard.

At only 18 inches long and with a skin color that allows them to camouflage easily, Pygmy rattlesnakes are seldom seen. They have a small rattle that sounds like a buzzing insect. Like all snakes, the Pygmy Rattlesnake prefers to retreat when encountering a human. However, this feisty snake won’t hesitate to attack if provoked.

Pygmy Rattlesnakes give birth to three to nine live young in late summer. Mice, nesting birds, lizards, insects, frogs, and other small snakes make a menu full of meal choices.

Read more

Eastern Hognose Snake

Eastern Hognose Snakes (Heterodon platirhinos) are found throughout Florida, with the exception of the Keys. Their habitat is diverse and includes scrub, sandhills, turkey oak woodlands, hardwood hammocks, pine woodlands, meadows, and even cultivated fields. Hognose snakes secrete a mild venom that is toxic to their prey. They are not known to cause serious injuries to humans; however, some people may show signs of an allergy if bitten.

Hognose snakes are thick-bodied and vary in color from solid gray or black to various shades of brown, yellow, orange, olive, or red with large, randomly shaped markings. The underside can be off-white, gray, or yellow, with the bottom side of the tail lighter in color. An average adult grows to 20-35 inches. Hognose snakes breed in spring. Females lay 15-25 leathery eggs in sandy soil or under logs. In 1-2 months, the hatchlings break free of their eggs and are 6 1/2 to 9 1/2 inches long.

Active only during daylight hours, Hognose snakes use their blunt noses to search through soil and leaf litter for their meals. They may dine on frogs, insects, salamanders, and invertebrates, but toads are their favorite dinner. When a toad is threatened, it will puff itself up. Immune to the toad’s poison, Hognose snakes are equipped with rear fangs, which enable them to pop the toad-like a balloon before swallowing it whole.

Eastern Hognose Snakes are best known for their dramatic display when warding off danger. Also known as a Puff Adder, a hognose snake will suck in air, flatten its head, rise like a cobra, and hiss when a threat is detected. With its mouth closed, it may strike. If this display does not scare away the predator, the hognose will flip itself over and imitate death. It may convulse, regurgitate, and emit foul-smelling fecal matter before becoming completely still with its mouth open and tongue hanging out. When the danger passes, the Hognose snake will simply roll over and get on with enjoying its day.

Photo Credit: Andy Waldo

Read more

Short-tailed Kingsnake

Short-tailed kingsnakes (lampropeltis extenuata) are as thin as a pencil and grow to an average length of 14 to 20 inches long. Their scales are smooth and gray with a spotted pattern. They have dark spots down the middle of their backs as well as on their sides. The lighter color between the spots has an orange center.

The Short-Tailed Kingsnake has a small oval-shaped head and round eyes. As the name implies, their tails are shorter than the tails of other snakes. This snake is nonvenomous and is not a threat to people. The Kingsnake consumes other snakes and lizards. They spend their lives below ground and are rarely seen. This snake is so rare that it is assumed eggs are laid below ground where it burrows. Reproduction has not been studied; therefore, nothing is known about the number of eggs in the Short-tailed kingsnake’s clutch. They can be found in north-central Florida habitats, such as pine or coastal live oak hammocks and sand pine scrub.

The Short-tailed Kingsnake is endemic to Florida. This snake is listed as threatened and protected by Florida state law. Their range is limited, and conversion of habitat to citrus, mining, and development pose ongoing threats.

Photo credit: Andy Waldo

Read more

Southern Hognose Snake

The Southern Hognose Snake (Heterodon simus) is a species often considered non-venomous. However, they do possess a mild toxin that is considered medically insignificant and harmless to humans (A few people have had allergic reactions to hognose bites). They inhabit areas with sandy soils, sandhills, pine-oak forests, scrubs, agricultural areas, and coastal dunes, from northern to central Florida.

As the smallest of the hognose snakes, they will grow to between 1 and 2 feet. Their eyes are round. Body-color runs gray-brown to tan, and the tail’s underside is the same color as the body. Their bodies’ back and sides have irregular, dark brown-black blotches, which are separated by orange-red blotches running along the spine. The neck has large blotches, and the forehead is marked with a dark band that runs from each eye to the corners of the jaw. The snake’s scales have lengthwise ridges. The scales on the tip of the snout are strongly upturned.

The diet of a Southern Hognose snake consists of frogs, toads, and lizards. They have rear fangs, which are used to puncture inflated toads and are immune to the poison produced by toads.

When a Southern Hognose snake feels threatened, it may play dead or flatten its neck and hiss. They live underground and are active during the day. However, you will rarely encounter one of these snakes as they have declined in number.

In the summer, females lay 6-14, thin-shelled, leathery, whitish eggs in either sandy soil or logs—the eggs hatch between September and October.

These snakes are of Conservation concern throughout their range. Their decline is due to introduced fire ants, the loss of longleaf pine forest, urban sprawl, and habitats’ conversion to agriculture. The Southern Hognose Snake is listed as vulnerable, and at risk of extinction on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Photo credit: Andy Waldo

Read more

All Rights Reserved Imagine Our Florida, Inc. Copyright 2019