Love them or hate them, snakes are a common sight in the Florida panhandle. It can be tempting to lump all snakes into the category of ‘kill it on sight!’, but that approach isn’t the best. They can be harmful or beneficial – nobody wants a snakebite, venomous or not, but snakes can play a valuable role in the ecosystem, keeping rodent populations under control.
Plenty of the snakes we have in the panhandle are harmless to humans. Only six species in the panhandle are venomous, and not all are found across the entirety of the panhandle. There are plenty of other nonvenomous snakes, some of which may resemble dangerous ones.
Some of the most common nonvenomous snakes include:
Rat snakes – Harmless, unless you’re a mouse or rat, the gray rat snake is also referred to as an oak snake. Very common and sometimes bred in captivity, especially red rat snakes.
Black racers – One of the more commonly spotted snakes in the daytime, black racers live in urban and suburban environments. Adults are black with a white chin, feeding on rodents, lizards, frogs, birds, or even other snakes.
Ringneck snakes – Common but reclusive, the ringneck snake is small, black on top with a bright yellow underside that changes to orange near the tail. A distinct yellowish ring on its neck gives it its name. Not venomous, and does not bite.
Hognose snakes – Living in dry, sandy habitats, hognose snakes are relatively small, with a distinctive upturned nose. They use this nose like a shovel, burrowing after the toads they feed on. Harmless to people, they try to appear threatening when disturbed and switch to playing dead if that doesn’t work.Garter snakes – Variable in color, but often with long stripes running the length of their bodies. Found near water, garter snakes may try to bite or release a foul smelling musk if captured. They are not venomous, however.
Water snakes – Several species of nonvenomous water snakes call the panhandle home. They live near ponds, lakes, canals, rivers, creeks, and other fresh water bodies. Most will try to bite if handled, and release foul smelling musk as a defense. They usuall feed on small fish, frogs, or sometimes small invertebrates.
King snakes – Looking very similar to the venomous coral snake, the scarlet kingsnake is not dangerous itself. It is small and likes to burrow, feeding on small lizards and rodents. It has bands of red, black, and white or yellow, but the red and white (or yellow) do not touch.
Glass lizards – Active during the daytime, these are legless lizards rather than actual snakes. Their name refers to their ability to detach their tails when in danger. The tail continues to wriggle, distracting predators while the lizard itself escapes. They eat a wide variety of insects, small creatures, eggs, and even smaller glass lizards.
The varieties of venomous snakes found in the Florida panhandle are:
Pygmy rattlesnakes – Small, well camouflaged in the pine forests it inhabits, pygmy rattlesnakes are aggressive. They do have a rattle, but the sound they make is a quiet buzz more like the sound an insect might make. They normally eat frogs or other small creatures, and while a bite is unlikely to be deadly to a human, it can be painful and cause infection.
Canebreak or timber rattlesnakes – A larger rattlesnake, these can grow up to six and a half feet in length. They prefer to flee rather than fight, but can be potentially lethal if they do bite.
Diamondback rattlesnakes – As its name suggests, it has diamond-shaped patches along its back. Growing up to eight feet long, the diamondback rattlesnake can be dangerous and should not be approached within six feet, as it can strike quickly up to half its body length away. Thankfully, it is not particularly aggressive unless approached, and tries to warn off intruders with its rattle which produces a loud warning buzz.
Cottonmouths or water moccasins – Found near water, the cottonmouth is named for its habit of opening its mouth, which has a whitish lining, as a threat. It may not flee when approached, and can strike aggressively. Its bite is potentially lethal.
Copperheads – Only found in a few specific parts of the panhandle, the copperhead is marked with alternating bands of light and dark brown. Juvenile cottonmouths often resemble copperheads. The copperhead often hides beneath logs or in wood piles, and is well camouflaged amongst piles of leaves. The bite is very painful.
Coral snakes – Seldom seen, but very venomous. Coral snakes can grow to sizes of up to four feet in length, and are colored with bands of red, yellow, and black. The red bands touch yellow ones, unlike on the king snake. Coral snakes are not particularly aggressive and prefer to flee, but its venom is a potent enough neurotoxin to make caution very much advised.
Snake bites are not common, and fatalities from them are less than ten annually in the United States. Wear appropriate clothing when in wild areas, and watch where you step. Do not approach wild snakes, and do not handle freshly killed snakes. In case of a snakebite, call 911 immediately, even if symptoms are delayed. Do not risk further bites in an attempt to identify the snake – stay away! Immobilize the bitten area and keep it lower than the heart, and do not apply suction, ice, heat, or a tourniquet. Do remove tight clothing or jewelry near the bite. Note the time of the bite, what symptoms occur, and any first aid given to the victim so first responders have all the information they need.
As evidenced by the scale adjacent to a quarter, the Brahminy blind snake looks more like a worm than a typical snake!
Part of the Extension job entails having friends and clientele reach out when they come across something odd while outdoors. I’ve been the recipient of random texts and emailed photos of bizarre-looking squishy finds from the beach, unusual plants, and snakes…lots and lots of snakes. So, when I got photos of a weird little worm-like critter a few months back, I wasn’t the least bit surprised. I’ve actually planned to write about this one for a while, because several people have asked me about it over the years.
While found most commonly buried in the soil, the Brahminy blind snake can get around in water as well. Photo credit: Huntley Jimenez
The Brahminy blind snake Indotyphlops braminus (also called the “Flowerpot Snake”) is considered a nonnative species due to its origin (Asia & Africa) and movement into natural areas in Florida since the 1970s. Even though it’s not from here, most biologists do not consider them “invasive,” as they do not meet the criteria of causing ecological or economic harm. In fact, I’ve only heard about people finding them in the Pensacola city limits—particularly East Hill or North Hill neighborhoods (but if you’ve seen one elsewhere, let me know!). Like many introduced insects and amphibians, the snake itself is typically transported through the landscape trade. It is small and can easily bury itself in the soil of a large tree or shrub container. These snakes can also swim, as evidenced by video from my friend of one wriggling around in her pool.
It is easy to see the snake’s deep black coloration in contrast here with the blue pool and water. Their heads and tails are almost identical. Photo credit: Huntley Jimenez
Brahminy blind snakes are members of the Typhlopidae family, which is composed of a cohort of burying snakes that mostly live in underground burrows in the soil. Spending their time in the dark, they have lost the need for vision (like cave-dwelling creatures). They have eye spots that can detect some light, but no detailed visual capability–hence the “blind” in their name. The tiny snakes are solid black (or sometimes purplish gray), about 4-6” long, and truly resemble a worm more than any snake most people are accustomed to seeing. They eat ant and termite eggs and larvae, so many folks would consider their role in the ecosystem rather useful. They are nonvenomous and do not bite, although they will push the slightly pointier posterior end of their bodies onto your skin (this won’t hurt) in a fruitless attempt at self-defense.
Interestingly, Brahminy blind snakes are all female. The species reproduces asexually through a process called parthenogenic thelytoky. The snake’s eggs can divide without a male, and offspring are genetic clones of the mother. Most species with this reproductive adaptation are insects (including the snake’s typical prey, ants), and it is rare among vertebrates. So rare, in fact, that the only vertebrates reproducing via parthenogenesis include several dozen lizards and the Brahminy blind snake. There are plenty of advantages to cutting out the “middle man” so to speak, including faster reproductive cycles and a reduction in energy expenditures related to finding a mate. However, creating genetic clones reduces population diversity, so any disease or innate vulnerability could wipe out relatives without genetic immunity.
A red rat snake, or corn snake, slithers through the grass at a home in Pensacola. Photo credit: Cole Stevenson
It’s warm here in northwest Florida, which means our cold-blooded reptile friends are on the move. In the last few weeks, I’ve seen a snake at work, one at home, and received snake photos from my neighbors’ and parents’ yards. A fear of snakes seems to be both innate and passed down from one generation to the next. Cryptic by nature, snakes often surprise us when they appear in our path. Their lack of arms and legs feels creepy to us four-limbed mammals, and when you add in the fact that some of them are venomous, it’s a recipe for conflict. If I had a quarter for every time somebody told me, “the only good snake is a dead snake,” I could retire tomorrow.
So, I’m here to make the case for keeping good snakes alive. If you have spent any time around my colleague Rick O’Connor, you know he’s forever picking them up and singing their praises. It’s unlikely that you’ll catch me picking a snake up, but I’m definitely a fan of these fascinating creatures.
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Juvenile red rat/corn snake and a gray rat snake. Photos from the UF Snake ID guide, courtesy of Todd Pierson and Luke Smith.
Half the battle towards conquering a fear of snakes is knowing what you’re looking at. If you can recognize some of the most common nonvenomous snakes and realize which one is in your yard, it’ll take the edge off that first shot of adrenaline. The ones I hear of and see most frequently are garter snakes, black racers, and rat snakes. Rat snakes often have diamond patterned skin, but with practice it is easy to differentiate them from anything with venom. The Florida Museum of Natural History website has a really well done web-based snake identification guide categorized by pattern and using excellent photos.
A gray rat snake hiding out on a tractor. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension
Members of the genus Pantherophis are more commonly known as the gray rat snake, (Pantherophis spiloides), red rat snake, aka corn snake (P. guttatus) and the Eastern or yellow rat snake (P. alleghaniensis). We see few Eastern rat snakes in the western Panhandle, but they often interbreed with the gray and red varieties. Full grown, ray rat snakes can grow to be anywhere from 3 to 7 feet long, whereas red rat snakes are usually no more than 4 feet.
Rat snakes are docile, with eye-catching color patterns. I recently came across a gray rat snake curled around a tractor tire at the 4-H property in Barrineau Park. Six of us were standing around within a few feet of it, but the snake ignored us, slowly winding its way around the equipment. At midday, it was resting in the shade and conserving energy. My kids and parents also had an interaction with a rat snake recently. As my son walked through his grandparents’ garage, he stepped on something “squishy” that felt like a hose or rope. To his surprise, it was a large red corn snake, lying right at the threshold of their door. Even after being stepped on, it was alert but not aggressive, slowly finding an escape route into the yard. Snakes generally avoid conflict when given the chance to leave on their own.
A healthy red rat snake in my parents’ garage fled at the sight of humans. Photo credit: Cole Stevenson
As their name implies, rat snakes are known for feeding on rats and mice. They perform an important community service, if you will, keeping the population of vermin in check. They also eat insects, frogs, and birds. Rat snakes are constrictors, but will eat smaller prey whole and alive.
Snakes play an important role in the ecosystem, serving as both predator and prey for many animals. They are in the business of hiding most of the time, and would rather not see people. If you do have a lot of unwanted snake interactions on your property, there are several things you can do to reduce their likelihood, like sealing gaps in buildings where snakes can hide and keeping brush piles well away from a home. But the easiest thing is to observe them from a distance and let them go about their day. While any wild animal will bite in self-defense, the odds of being bitten very low if you don’t harass or try to pick one up!
Here in Florida, we have snakes. Some may say we have lots of snakes. While their presence may be something to be expected out in wild areas, homeowners often find it alarming when these creatures show up near places where we live. The reaction is often a simple one: if it is a snake, kill it.
Dealing with snakes should not be like this, however. Although some are venomous, many others are harmless to humans and make valuable contributions to the local ecology. As more natural areas become developed, wildlife such as snakes are increasingly pushed into close contact with people, so learning to live with them is important.
Of the 46 species of snakes found in Florida, only 6 are venomous. The chances of being bitten by one of these venomous snakes is very low; there are only 7,000-8,000 bites in the entire U.S. each year. Fatalities are even more rare, with less than ten people typically dying across the country annually from venomous snakebites. In a country with a population of around 330 million, that’s not a lot.
A venomous Eastern diamond-backed rattlesnake.
Snakes, especially venomous ones, should be treated with respect, however. Knowing how to identify a snake can be an important step in knowing how to react to them, and understanding their behavior can help avoid unfortunate encounters. The venomous snakes we have in Florida are the copperhead, the coral snake, the cottonmouth or water moccasin, the Eastern diamond-backed rattlesnake, the pygmy rattlesnake, and the timber rattlesnake. For help in identifying these species, see our guide on EDIS at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/UW229.
A harmless hognose rattlesnake.
Understanding snake behavior, including their feeding habits and preferred habitats, is also important. If you can make the areas you live in less hospitable to snakes, especially venomous ones, they’ll be less likely to move in. This doesn’t mean getting rid of every snake out there – some snakes that are harmless to humans may be predators that consume other snakes (including venomous ones) or rodents. Because venomous snakes often consume rodents and other small animals, allowing the nonvenomous ones to control populations of prey can help keep dangerous snakes out!
Watch out for areas where snakes may shelter, including tall grass, overgrown shrubs, piles of brush and wood, or debris. There is no need to remove all such things from a property, as other wildlife use them as well, but keep them away from houses and areas where people frequent. Also be sure to keep rodents under control in and around buildings to avoid attracting snakes that feed on them. You can find more information on managing habitat to deal with snakes at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/UW260.
Rat snakes – Harmless, unless you’re a mouse or rat, the gray rat snake is also referred to as an oak snake. Very common and sometimes bred in captivity, especially red rat snakes.
Glass lizards – Active during the daytime, these are legless lizards rather than actual snakes. Their name refers to their ability to detach their tails when in danger. The tail continues to wriggle, distracting predators while the lizard itself escapes. They eat a wide variety of insects, small creatures, eggs, and even smaller glass lizards.
Diamondback rattlesnakes – As its name suggests, it has diamond-shaped patches along its back. Growing up to eight feet long, the diamondback rattlesnake can be dangerous and should not be approached within six feet, as it can strike quickly up to half its body length away. Thankfully, it is not particularly aggressive unless approached, and tries to warn off intruders with its rattle which produces a loud warning buzz.
Cottonmouths or water moccasins – Found near water, the cottonmouth is named for its habit of opening its mouth, which has a whitish lining, as a threat. It may not flee when approached, and can strike aggressively. Its bite is potentially lethal.
