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Florida’s Venomous Snakes
NE
Florida’s Venomous Snakes
WHAT
IS A SNAKE? A snake is a reptile without legs. A reptile usually has scales, lays eggs, breathes
air, and doesn’t spend much time taking care of its babies. It is also cold-blooded, which means that its body
doesn’t stay the same temperature all the time. (Our
bodies stay at 98.6 F all day.) Snakes get
very cold on winter days and very hot in the summer. Because
of this, snakes usually stay in burrows during very hot and cold weather. A burrow is a hole in the ground where they can
live.
WHAT
DO SNAKES EAT? All snakes are carnivores (car-ni-vorz) or
meat-eaters. Small snakes eat bugs and frogs. Larger ones eat fish, birds, mice, and rabbits. They use sharp teeth and strong muscles to catch
the prey. If the prey animal is bigger than
the snake’s mouth, the snake can dislocate (unhinge) its bottom jaw to fit the big
animal in.
WHAT IS VENOM? Venom is a poison the snake puts into its prey through its fangs (teeth). This either kills the prey animal or makes it so the prey can’t move. Once venom gets into the prey, it is easy for the snake to eat it. The snakes on this page DO HAVE VENOM. Some venomous snakes have bright colors or patterns which can warn us. Rattlesnakes have rattles to warn away animals or people that might hurt them
Eastern
Diamondback Rattlesnake
(Crotalus adamanteus) is the largest snake native to North America, reaching
6 feet long. It has brown, black, and beige
diamond marks on its back. This snake lives in
forests near palmetto bushes. It makes its
home in old animal burrows (holes in the ground). It
is a good swimmer and can live near fresh or salt water.
The eastern diamondback does NOT always rattle before it strikes.
To hear rattle sound, click the speaker.
Dusky
Pigmy Rattlesnake
(Sistrurus miliarius barbouri) is usually less than 1 ½ feet
long and not even as thick as a grown-up’s thumb. It is dark gray with black
and brown patches. The rattle is very tiny and hard to see. The sound it makes
is so small that it may sound like an insect buzz. This snake lives near marshes and
ponds under palmetto bushes. A baby dusky is not much bigger than a quarter.
Florida
Cottonmouth
(Agkistrodon piscivorus conanti) is a thick-bodied(fat)water snake
also called a Water Mocassin. It is usually
between 2 and 4 feet long. When it is young,
it’s light brown with black and olive patterns. As
it gets older, black covers up the patterns, and it looks like an all-black snake. When it’s angry, it opens its mouth wide,
showing the white inside. This snake does NOT
have a rattle. Cottonmouths can be aggressive
and may strike several times. They live near
swamps, lakes, and ditches.
Eastern Coral Snakes (Micrurius fulvius fulvius) are skinny snakes about 2 feet long. They have rings of red, yellow, and black all along their bodies. Their noses are always black. They do not have long fangs and have to actually chew on you to get the venom in. Many snakes look like the coral snake. A rhyme about the order of the colored stripes helps you tell them apart, but don’t get too close! Rhyme: Red and yellow kills a fellow. Red and black is safe for Jack. Coral snakes [venomous] have red and yellow touching; scarlet king snakes [non-venomous] have red and black.
For more information about venomous snakes visit http://www.envenomated.com
www.rattlesnakesfacts.comRESOURCES:
Behler, John and King, F. Wayne. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1992.
Conant, Roger and Joseph Collin. Peterson’s Reptiles and Amphibians. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1991.Florida Game & Fresh Water Fish Commission pamphlet Florida’s Venomous Snakes. Florida.
Foster, Steven and Caras, Roger. Peterson Field Guide to Venomous Animals and Poisonous Plants. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1994.Provided by the Pelotes Island Nature Preserve
http://pelotes.jea.com
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