| 1 | Mud snake |
Venomous? No.
A vivid black and red snake, which lacks venom and is a harmless constrictor. Mud snakes exist in backcountry wetlands, such as marshes and gloomy cypress swamps, where they often coexist with hungry alligators.
Mud snakes are a peaceful species, and you can easily pick them up in your arms without being bitten. This is one of Florida’s largest snakes, with an all-time record of 207.0cm, and a common size of 1.2-1.5 metres. Being a constrictor, they have a thick body to match. This species is hard to miss, as their main scales are a midnight black, contrasting sharply against a lava red belly. Some of the red scales extend to their head as well.
Mud snakes are found everywhere in Florida, from the southern tip of the peninsular to the panhandle, with the lone exception being the Keys. They rarely enter human habitation, except buildings directly adjacent to swamps. They’re a snake of rural Florida, which are most commonly spotted crossing backcountry roads immediately after heavy rainfall. They usually stick to their swamps closely, but after a downpour, they become more adventurous and can travel hundreds of metres from their watery bases.
Mud snakes have several legends surrounding them, one being that they’re a “hoop snake”, which can roll towards innocent people at high speeds, then release the hoop at the last second and spike their victim with a sharp tail. This was inspired by the mud snake’s very real and very strange tendency to bite their tail and curl up into a circle when frightened. They then float lifelessly on the swamp surface, which is harmless, but very spooky.
| 2 | Eastern diamondback rattlesnake |
Venomous? Yes.
The eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus) isn’t just the largest venomous snake in Florida, it’s the largest, bulkiest rattlesnake worldwide, out of all 35-40 members. At a confirmed record of 251.5cm, it just edges past the west diamondback rattlesnake at 233.7cm.
This much feared snake is particularly common on forest game trails, or footpaths through remote grassy fields. While it inhabits the entire state of Florida (except the Keys), it’s becoming increasingly sparse due to habitat destruction. Thankfully, this brutish snake never invades peoples’ bedrooms at the dead of night – it mostly sticks to wild countryside areas instead.
Eastern diamondback venom has an LD50 score of 1.2mg, defeating the copperhead easily at 10.9mg. The venom is yellow-coloured, and if you’re bitten while walking your dog, the consequences will likely include severe skin necrosis and spontaneous haemorrhaging.
East diamondbacks like to reside in burrows, despite being poor diggers. Its rattle can be heard from 9 metres away, and its average adult length is 1.7 metres. Every year, smiling Florida locals are photographed holding even larger ones, claimed to be 2.5 metres, 3 metres, or even 4.5 metres. Some are artificially enlarged using a photography trick called forced perspective, but others are indeed unnaturally huge. 251.5cm is the official record, but larger ones may be out there.
| 3 | Black racer |
Venomous? No.
The most hyperactive of Florida’s native snakes. The black racer (Coluber constrictor) is found across the vast majority of the state, from the panhandle to Miami, and even a few of the Florida keys. This is a non-venomous snake, but they despise being handled, and almost never calm down in captivity no matter how long you keep them. Black racers are black on almost all of their bodies, with their chin and belly being significantly paler.
Black racers reach a record of 190.5cm, and are extremely energetic. They slither at 4mph, the speed of a human’s brisk walk, and they’re expert climbers, often zipping up tall tree trunks when startled. Black racers have no specific habitat, and are comfortable in urban areas. This makes them the Florida snake most commonly spotted in towns and cities, or even by the deck chairs of a hotel swimming pool. They couldn’t care less what they eat – mammals, reptiles and birds are all possibilities, which they chase down at manic speeds and then swallow whole, using a very loose constricting formation.
The black racer has excellent eyesight, and often raises its head up to scan its surroundings. Consequently, their favourite spots of all are open fields and grasslands, but they’re also common in giant trash piles and on roadsides.
| 4 | Eastern coral snake |
Venomous? Yes.
This colourful killer injects only a small quantity of venom per bite, at 3-5mg. Its fangs are small, and cannot penetrate human flesh deeply. But drop for drop, the eastern coral snake has the strongest venom of any Floridian snake. The LD50 toxicity score is 0.2mg, versus 1.2mg for the eastern diamondback.
Eastern coral snakes (Micrurus fulvius) reach an all-time record of 129.5cm, and appear everywhere in Florida except the Middle and Lower Keys. They’re mainly a citizen of wide, spacious forests, such as high pine, scrub oak and broadleaf forests.
Like most coral snakes, this is a shy species rather than a maniac which charges around on a murderous killing spree. The eastern coral snake’s natural instinct is to burrow, or to take shelter in claustrophobic spots. In forests, they’re normally found lurking below rotting logs, in leaf litter, or nestled in rock piles. This is a common Floridian snake, but only one death has been attributed to them over the last 60 years (in 2006).
Nevertheless, picking up an eastern coral snake while on a woodland exploration quest with your friends is not a smart idea. Another gruesome feature is an ophiophagous diet – a diet consisting of other snakes. Two of its confirmed prey are on our list – the mud snake and black racer.
| 5 | Striped crayfish snake |
Venomous? No.
This Floridian snake is rarely seen by the average layman, yet they’re secretly one of the most numerous. The striped crayfish snake numbers an estimated 1 million across Florida and Georgia, the two US states they’re found in.
Striped crayfish snakes (Liodytes alleni) mainly live in slow-moving rivers, well away from towns and cities. This is only a short snake, with a record of 70.5cm, and a standard range of 30-55cm. But they have one special feature: dagger-like front fangs, whose sole purpose is to break through rock-hard crayfish shells. This snake is a crayfish specialist, with one of their favourites being the slough crayfish.
Liodytes alleni moves by day, and spends those hours patrolling the riverbanks looking for crayfish burrows to invade. Their goal is to dine on the inhabitants, and instead of constricting with coils, their first point of contact with their prey is the brutal shell-penetrating bite, which doubles as a gripping mechanism.
If you’re lucky, you might spot this Florida snake while on a comfy riverboat cruise. One of Florida’s worst invasive species is water hyacinth, a thick mat of green vegetation from Brazil, which grows incredibly fast. Water hyacinth can eventually grow to cover entire river surfaces, choking out all native life below, but striped crayfish snakes are a rare species that benefits, as the hyacinth provides a shelter from predatory birds overhead.
| 6 | Pygmy rattlesnake |
Venomous? Yes.
Florida has 3 rattlesnake species, with the timber rattlesnake being restricted to a few northern counties. The eastern diamondback wins for deadliness, but the pygmy rattlesnake is the undoubtedly most common. This is the smallest rattlesnake species worldwide, measuring 40-60cm on average. The longest of all time measured 80.3cm, but only after being kept in captivity for 12 years (with a plentiful food supply).
Its fangs are a mere 0.5cm, even in adulthood, yet its venom can pack a powerful punch, delivering a flood of hemotoxins which totally disable blood clotting. There are no confirmed deaths on record, but in 2015, a 17 month old boy survived by the skin of his teeth, after being bitten while playing in his backyard.
You can encounter the pygmy rattlesnake in many locations – forests, fields, well-manicured golf courses. A great place to find them is rotting logs, which they often wait next to in ambush, hoping for scurrying mammals to run along the top so they can snatch them up.
Pygmy rattlesnakes have the claim to fame of eating poisonous centipedes, including the fearsome giant desert centipede. Florida is specifically home to the dusky pygmy rattlesnake, a darker subspecies with red tinges and more rounded patterns.
| 7 | Florida cottonmouth |
Venomous? Yes.
Originally a subspecies of the main cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus), but separated into its own species in 2015, thanks to state of the art genetic analysis. The Florida cottonmouth is now called Agkistrodon conanti, and differs by having lighter and cleaner facial patterns, plus a significantly longer tail than the northern cottonmouth. So far, the record for a Florida cottonmouth is 189.2cm.
Cottonmouths are mainly a water-loving snake, ambling slowly around Florida’s many swamps and lakes. They’re subject to many wacky rumours, including leaping from tree branches to land on the heads of unsuspecting fishermen below. Rural Floridians often tell stories in bars of this snake pursuing them for miles and miles, but cottonmouths are a fairly relaxed species overall.
That said, their venom is still extremely powerful. 17% of untreated bites can be fatal, and the venom causes extensive necrosis of the nearby limbs. Anyone bitten by this snake should seek immediate medical care.
Cottonmouths are a thick-bodied snake, and sometimes coexist with mud snakes in their swamps, as well as alligators. They particularly gravitate towards thickets along the edges of swamps, and it’s rare for them to leave their watery domains. This species appears across virtually the entirety of Florida, including some of the Keys.
| 8 | Scarlet snake |
Venomous? No.
A completely harmless species, which is believed to mimic the eastern coral snake in appearance. The scarlet snake (Cemophora coccinea) appears in every Florida county, and mostly hangs out in spacious forests, such as dry prairies and flatwoods. Dry, loose soils are a must for the scarlet snake, as this is a burrowing species, which uses a rounded nose to carve out its own dens. This is an underground dweller, and when above ground, they still lurk stealthily under woody debris and branches.
Consequently, the scarlet snake is one of Florida’s most elusive. They’re not rare whatsoever, but tracking one down is an epic challenge, as they so rarely poke their heads out. This species is the holy grail for some Florida reptile enthusiasts.
If they do succeed, then there’s no certain death awaiting, as the scarlet snake is non-venomous. Their top prey is lizards, but scarlet snakes have a particular taste for turtle eggs. Their strategy is to invade a turtle den, wrap themselves around the egg, and squeeze hard until the golden yolk bursts free.
Despite their peaceful temperament, scarlet snakes have unusually sharp front fangs, though they rarely use them against humans. Scarlet snakes can also be spotted on beaches in Florida occasionally, particularly if that beach is a turtle hotspot. This species reaches a maximum of 82.3cm.
| 9 | Ring-necked snake |
Venomous? Yes.
A small, humble snake which often congregates under shelter in vast numbers. If you dedicate yourself to exploring a forest and ripping up as much rotting wood as you can, then it’s possible to find hundreds of ring-necked snakes within one hour. This species lives in similar habitats to the pygmy rattlesnake, yet is completely harmless.
The ring-necked snake measures 30-45cm, and is thin to boot. Despite being tiny, it does possesses venom, a weak-rear fanged venom which has no chance of killing a human. Their signature white neck ring is their only notable pattern; most of their body is a dull olive. Ring-necked snakes (Diadophis punctatus) like to laze around in the forest eating insects, which form their main prey. They’re especially fond of ants, and they even live in anthills sometimes. Ring-necked snakes often stray close to human dwellings, particularly gardens where sheet metal is piled up.
Across the USA, the ring-necked snake has 14 subspecies. By far the main Florida subspecies is the southern ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus punctatus), which often has an incomplete white ring. This holds a length record of 48.2cm, and covers virtually the entire state.
Meanwhile, the keys ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus acricus) is very rare, appearing only in Monroe County, the southernmost country in Florida. This subspecies is sometimes missing the ring entirely, or has a very faint one. This version holds an all-time record of just 28.9cm, although it’s far less researched than its cousins and probably reaches longer in reality.
| 10 | Corn snake |
Venomous? No.
The corn snake is the most popular captive snake worldwide, but the wild populations haven’t just gone away. They’re carrying on as they have for millions of years, and Florida is crawling with them, since the southeastern US is their main heartland.
The corn snake is a peaceful constrictor, which commonly slithers into agricultural fields in order to feed on the rats there. The exact origin of their name is a mystery, but their tendency to slither into corn fields is one popular theory. It’s believed that they aided early US farmers as far back as the 1600s, acting as a natural rodenticide.
Corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus) reach a maximum length of 182.9cm, and inhabit every county in Florida, even including the Lower Keys. One of their top skills is climbing trees, including the most sheer vertical trunks. Corn snakes have flat bellies rather than round, and their belly scales are jagged, allowing them to dig into soft bark for added purchase. They regularly climb trees to raid birds’ nests, and another common place to spot them is on roads, where they love to bask on the warm tarmac.
In captivity, there are countless extravagant colour morphs such as candy cane and blue-striped, but wild corn snakes are usually red with orange blotches. However, the countryside near Gainesville, Florida has a purely natural colour morph called “blood red”, which lacks the orange scales.