Discover the Black Snakes in Florida

Quick Take

• Eight black snakes slither through Florida, but one packs a dangerous bite. Can you spot which? Spot the venomous one →
• Some harmless snakes look alarmingly like a venomous neighbor. One mix-up could be costly. See the cottonmouth lookalike →
• One snake looks like an earthworm, and its eyes are almost impossible to see. Meet the earthworm snake →
• One snake on the list isn't truly black. Find out why it still made the cut. Why it made the cut →

Florida is home to between 44 and 50 native snake species, of which only six are venomous. Snakes in Florida may be found in coastal mangroves, freshwater wetlands, dry uplands, and residential areas. There are eight distinct species of black snakes found throughout the state, of which only one is venomous. Continue reading to discover the black snakes in Florida.

Black Swamp Snake

• Scientific name: Liodytes pygaea
• Size: 10-15 inches long, small skinny snake
• Coloration: shiny black with a bright red or orange belly
• Similarity to others: the ring-necked snake, which also has a black body and red or orange belly but has a colored neck ring
• Venomous or non-venomous: non-venomous
• Habitat: aquatic, lives in marshes, swamps, lakes, ponds, and slow-moving streams
• Location in Florida: throughout most of Florida and into the panhandle, not found in the Keys

Brahminy Blind Snake

• Scientific name: Indotyphlops braminus
• Size: tiny snakes, only 4.5-6.5 inches, look the same at both ends, hard to tell heads from the back end, and have tiny, imperceptible eyes, which give them their nickname blindsnake.
• Coloration: their whole body is the same color, black, dark gray, or even purplish
• Similarity to others: they look like a thicker earthworm.
• Venomous or non-venomous: non-venomous
• Habitat: similar to earthworms, they prefer to burrow in loose soil and leaf piles
• Location in Florida: found from Key West up the coast and throughout most of the state, rarely in the panhandle

Eastern Indigo Snake

• Scientific name: Drymarchon couperi
• Size: 60-82 inches, thick-bodied snake
• Coloration: black with iridescent purple and blue hue with the sunlight, reddish-orange markings under the chin
• Similarity to others: North American racers and eastern coachwhip
• Venomous or non-venomous: non-venomous
• Habitat: a variety of environments, including scrub, prairies, coastal dunes, edge of freshwater marshes, like to live in the burrows of gopher tortoise
• Location in Florida: found throughout the state, although very rarely seen in the Keys

Florida Cottonmouth

• Scientific name: Agkistrodon conanti
• Size: 30-48 inches (2.5-4 feet) long, thick-bodied
• Coloration: start tan with dark-brown markings, but as they get older, they get darker, and some senior snakes eventually become completely black with faint dark markings
• Similarity to others: they look a lot like other non-venomous water snakes like the saltmarsh snake and the Florida green watersnake
• Venomous or non-venomous: venomous
• Habitat: swamps, rivers, lakes, ponds, ditches, retention pools
• Location in Florida: they are found in all of Florida’s counties, including the Keys and a few offshore islands.

Glossy Swamp Snake

• Scientific name: Liodytes rigida
• Size: 14-24 inches, small snake
• Coloration: looks black but may be more of dark olive, have a faint stripe down their back and on either side, yellowish lips
• Similarity to others: the striped swamp snake
• Venomous or non-venomous: non-venomous
• Habitat: aquatic, swamps, marshes, slow-moving waterways, lakes, ponds, ditches
• Location in Florida: from central Florida NW to the panhandle

North American Racer

• Scientific name: Coluber constrictor
• Size: 20-55 inches, long skinny snake
• Coloration: all black with a white chin, large eyes
• Similarity to others: eastern indigo and eastern coachwhip
• Venomous or non-venomous: non-venomous
• Habitat: prairies, scrubs, forests, and suburban backyards
• Location in Florida: throughout Florida, including the Keys

Ring-necked Snake

• Scientific name: Diadophis punctatus
• Size: 8-14 inches, tiny snake
• Coloration: all black with a bright red, orange, or yellow belly, also has a colored ring around its neck like a dog collar
• Similarity to others: the black swamp snake, look for the collar to tell them apart
• Venomous or non-venomous: non-venomous
• Habitat: prairies, meadows, and suburban backyards
• Location in Florida: throughout Florida, including the Keys

Saltmarsh Snake

• Scientific name: Nerodia clarkii
• Size: 15-30 inches, medium-bodied
• Coloration: wide variation in color, but are sometimes all black with faint dark stripes down the side
• Similarity to others: Florida cottonmouth, which can be a problem since the cottonmouth is venomous; better to stay away from all black watersnakes
• Venomous or non-venomous: non-venomous
• Habitat: aquatic, prefers coastal areas, marshes, mangroves in both saltwater and brackish estuaries, like to live in crab burrows
• Location in Florida: found along the perimeter of Florida along the coasts, including the Keys

Eastern Coachwhip

The eastern coachwhip is not all black like the snakes on our list, but if you only saw a glimpse of the first foot of the head and body, it would appear to be all black. Their body then fades into a light tan. Because of this dark gradient, they made our list as an honorable mention.

• Scientific name: Masticophis flagellum flagellum
• Size: 42-60 inches, slender-bodied
• Coloration: heads are all black, and then after about a foot, it gradually fades to a light tan
• Similarity to others: Eastern Indigo and North American Racer
• Venomous or non-venomous: non-venomous
• Habitat: sandhills, scrubs, along beaches, prefer hot, dry habitats
• Location in Florida: throughout Florida except in the Keys or some of the southern wetlands