![]() ![]() The dusky pygmy rattlesnake is a small venomous snake found in Florida. This light-brown snake is identified by its dark brown diamond pattern down its back. It can grow to be more than 8 feet long and is found throughout Florida. The Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake is the largest venomous snake found in North America. You can give our office a call and we can provide insight and ways we can move them from your property. If you have seen snakes around your home, chances are its not venomous. If you are bitten by a venomous snake, it is essential to immediately seek medical help. Let’s look at some of the venomous snakes found in Florida. The poison from a venomous snake’s bite can cause severe illness or even death. In fact, Florida is home to six of the most venomous snakes in North America. You can also reach out to FGCU’s snake team at to have snakes removed for free.Venomous snakes are found in every state in the US, including Florida. “We need to learn to live with them… From my experience working with snakes, the snakes are so much more afraid of you than we are afraid of them. “I get the safety concern because it can be a concern for little kids or dogs that are in the yard, but the reality is they are here we are on their land,” Guedouar said. “That’s a safe distance for you to be from the snake and get it to move away, or take a broom and push it away.”Īs much as you may want to keep snakes away, the biologist stresses their importance in our environment. ”You can spray it with the hose they do not like being sprayed in the face with water,” Guedouar said. And if they end up on your property, Guedouar says not to reach for a shovel. The eastern diamondback rattlesnake looks roughly the same its whole life. “In the case of the cottonmouth, they are lighter colored as juveniles, and then as they grow bigger, they’ll get fatter and darker colored.” “The best rule of thumb is just to not touch a snake, especially if you don’t know what it is,” Guedouar said. And some venomous snakes change their appearance as they age. “The way that you can tell those is the diamondback is gonna be this really big snake with diamonds on its back and a rattle at the end,” Guedouar said.Ī lot of non-venomous snakes, however, have evolved to resemble venomous species to ward off predators. Guedouar says the two venomous snakes you’re most likely to see are cottonmouths (also known as water moccasins) and eastern diamondback rattlesnakes. The egg-laying won’t happen until the end of summer, but for now, they’re hitting the streets. “Because then the females do need time to go find a nice place to lay their eggs or give birth.” “We’re coming to the end of mating season, so we’re seeing a lot of activity with snakes because they’re looking for their mates, just trying to get that in while the weather’s good,” Guedouar said. “You can kind of see this band on the eye, and the triangle-shaped head is a good way to tell what that is.”Īnother reason you may notice a more active snake population in the coming weeks: The adults will be out looking for mates. “That is a venomous viper it’s a watersnake,” Guedouar said. Guedouar identified one fearsome specimen, recently captured by a man named Mike Falcone in a Fort Myers neighborhood, as a cottonmouth, roughly two years old. “As the rain picks up, and some wetlands start to fill up, snakes need to get on the move to find a new place to stay high and dry, maybe to find water and maybe to find some prey animals,” said Ella Guedouar, a graduate snake biologist at Florida Gulf Coast University.Ī high and dry location could well be your home. Credit: Virginia State Parks, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons A local expert explains why that is, how you can tell if the snakes are venomous, and what to do if they are.Īpril showers bring more than May flowers-in Florida, they also bring snakes. At this time of year, you may begin to see more snakes slithering around your home. ![]()
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