![]() The timber rattlesnake lives towards the east of the panhandle, at the tip of its southern range. While the snake enjoys a variety of habitats, and can be found anywhere from Texas to Nebraska, and all the way east to Massachusetts, they only live in the very northwest of Florida.īut that doesn’t mean they’re the only dangerous snake there. The panhandle is home to all of the state’s copperheads. The rest don’t want to do anything but eat rodents and similar prey-they certainly don’t want anything to do with people. Do bear in mind that the vast majority of snakes you find in Florida are non-venomous.Īs we’ve said, there are at least 50 species, and only 6 of those are venomous. In large part, that’s why so many snake species have managed to thrive there. Where Do Venomous Snakes Live?įlorida is a diverse state with a unique ecosystem. Either way, like all pit viper venom, their bites cause intense pain. Their bite and venom are toxic enough to occasionally kill, provided that the person can’t get to the hospital on time.Ĭottonmouth venom kills the tissue around the bite mark, leaving swelling and may necessitate amputation if things get too bad. The cottonmouth is slightly more venomous than the copperhead. You might also know them as the water moccasin, which is a name they earn from preferring to live close to the water. When the cottonmouth is threatened, they’ll open their mouth, exposing their bright white gums. Just like the copperhead, they get their name from their defensive display. Cottonmouth SnakeĬottonmouths are one of the best-known of America’s most venomous snakes.Ĭottonmouths are a kind of pit viper. They are happiest in mixed woodlands and deciduous forests, although they can live in low-lying swampy areas too (like the panhandle). They’re only really found in the panhandle, while each of the other species lives all across the state. Although they are venomous, they’re the least venomous of all pit vipers, and their bite stands little chance of causing serious health problems.Ĭopperheads have the most limited range in Florida. If you approach one, you might not realize that you’re frightening it. This is a problem both for the snake and the person that finds them because it makes it more likely that they’ll get scared and bite you. Unlike many other snakes, it freezes if disturbed. This is a behavior they learned that’s termed ‘Batesian mimicry,’ which means that they’re copying an even scarier predator to make other animals scared of them.Ĭopperheads are an ambush predator that usually avoids humans. They also don’t have a rattle, although they’ll still rattle their tail, as if they’re pretending. This and their low-contrast, dusty brown color makes camouflage easy for them. The copperhead is named after its bright rusty-red head. This attacks your nervous system, stopping your lungs and heart from working. They’re quite docile snakes, hardly ever biting people, and only rarely using venom when they do.īut if they do decide to bite, they use a neurotoxin. The fangs are positioned at the front of the mouth, just like rattlesnakes, but they’re significantly shorter (at a quarter of an inch long). Not only that, but they don’t have the long and dangerous fangs that rattlesnakes and other pit vipers do. Coral snakes are quite small and short, only reaching 30 inches at most. It’s the origin of the old rhyme, “Red next to black, safe from attack red next to yellow, you’re a dead fellow.” There are plenty of variants, but the point is always the same.Ĭoral snake venom is exceptionally dangerous-although the snakes themselves are very placid. The yellow bands only touch the black bands. In coral snakes, the thin yellow bands touch the red bands.The eastern coral snake is the one with red, black and yellow stripes.
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