From Eastern Mud Snakes to Burmese Pythons: A Guide to Florida’s Snakes

Florida has the perfect climate for snakes to live in the wild. Ranging from subtropical in the north to tropical in the south, Florida’s temperatures rarely dip below freezing. There is plenty of vegetation where snakes can hide while waiting for prey, avoiding predators, or regulating their temperature. There is also plenty of prey, from insects to rodents and, in some cases, large mammals. Continue reading to learn about 10 of these Floridian reptiles.

1. Eastern Mud Snake

The Eastern mud snake (Farancia abacura abacura) grows to be approximately four feet long and is shiny black above and red and black below, with red bars along the sides. It is found in Florida’s cypress swamps, and when not in the water, it hides under vegetation or fallen leaves.

As a semi-aquatic snake, the Eastern mud snake only comes ashore to hibernate, lay its eggs, or find more sources of water to swim in when its habitat dries out. It eats aquatic animals such as salamanders. The female sometimes lays her eggs in the nests of alligators and bravely guards them until it’s time for them to hatch.

2. Ring-Necked Snake

The species of ring-necked snake (Diadophis punctatus) found in Florida is a smaller snake that grows 8 to 14 inches long. It is non-venomous and gets its name from the colorful band behind its head. It is grayish-black above, but below it is a vivid orange, yellow, or red.

The ring-necked snake is found in Florida’s forests and is a common visitor to suburban gardens. However, it is seldom seen; it hides beneath rocks and logs and is nocturnal. Ring-necked snakes eat amphibians, slugs, earthworms, insects, lizards, and smaller snakes.

3. Brahminy Blind Snake

Brahminy blind snakes (Indotyphlops braminus), also called worm snakes, are so small that they are often mistaken for earthworms. The brahminy blind snake grows up to 6.5 inches. They are thin snakes, and their scales, which are shades of gray or even purple, are smooth and shiny. This gives them a mercurial appearance. It is hard to tell the head from the tail since the blind snake’s eyes are vestigial.

Some people mistake them for earthworms or baby snakes. Earthworms are segmented and do not have forked tongues. These characteristics help in blind snake identification. But blind snakes are like earthworms in that they are both fossorial. Because they are so small, blind snakes eat ants, termites, and their eggs, larvae, and pupae.

4. Eastern Indigo Snake

A non-venomous and usually peaceful snake, the Eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon couperi) gets its name from the iridescent purple-black scales on its belly. Its scales on its sides and back are blue-black, though some snakes have a bit of red or orange around their head. The eastern indigo snake can grow over 9 feet in length and weigh close to 10 pounds.

Eastern indigo snakes are diurnal and are found in sugar cane fields, thickets near rivers, hammocks, flatwoods, the bottom of dry streams, and sandhills. They are known for their use of gopher and tortoise burrows and will stay there to lay eggs or take shelter. It eats other reptiles and amphibians, birds, their eggs, and mammals.

5. Florida Pine Snake

The Florida pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus) is found only in the Southeastern United States. It is a bulky snake that can grow up to 7.5 feet in the wild. They live in pine woods, oak woods, sandhills, pine barrens, and pastures. While non-venomous, it is powerful and subdues its prey by squeezing it to death in its coils. One of three pine snake species, the Florida pine snake is grayish-brown to rust-colored with blotchy patterns on its scales. Males and females look alike.

These snakes also have pointed snouts for digging, and a bit of cartilage in their throat that amplifies their hissing. They can also vibrate their tails to mimic the dangerous rattlesnake. Despite their powerful build, pine snakes are eaten by foxes, skunks, pet dogs and cats, birds of prey, and raccoons. Their eggs are eaten by other snakes.

6. Eastern Coral Snake

The Eastern coral snake (Micrurus fulvius) is pretty and venomous. It is often confused with harmless snakes such as the scarlet kingsnake (Lampropeltis elapsoides), so it is good to remember this phrase when it comes to coral snake identification: ‘Red on yellow kills a fellow, red on black, a friend of Jack.’

Eastern coral snakes, which grow to be slightly under 3 feet, are found throughout peninsular Florida, including the Everglades, hammocks, and dry, open areas. They eat frogs and other reptiles, including their conspecifics. The coral snake is oviparous and produces 3 to 12 eggs in early summer that hatch in September. Baby coral snakes are between 7 and 9 inches long.

7. Florida Rattler

The Florida rattler (Crotalus adamanteus) is another venomous snake. Also known as the Eastern diamondback rattlesnake, this snake is the largest rattlesnake and one of the heaviest venomous snakes in the world. It is only found in the Southeastern United States and lives in dry pine forests, sandhills, swamps, and salt marshes. Sometimes it will chase prey into trees or bushes. Its venom is potent, and its fangs are two-thirds of an inch in length.

The Florida rattler can grow up to 7 feet 9 inches in length, with the heaviest recorded individual weighing 34 pounds, though most are much lighter. Its scales are brown, gray, or olive green with a pattern of brown or black diamonds edged with cream, with light brown or gray centers. The snake’s head features a pit that helps it sense the heat of potential prey. They eat rabbits, rodents, and birds, but are themselves eaten by birds of prey, especially when young.

8. Florida Kingsnake

The medium-sized Florida kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula floridana) can grow to 5 feet in length and loves to eat other snakes, including rattlesnakes. It has glossy black scales and custard crossbands.

These crossbands are important in kingsnake identification, as there are 45 subspecies of kingsnakes, and some of them look nearly identical. It is named king because it preys on other snakes. The Florida kingsnake is immune to the venom of snakes that live in its area and has enough constriction force to ensure it asphyxiates its prey. The Florida kingsnake also eats lizards, birds, and rodents.

If one has room for it and commits to its proper care, the Florida kingsnake can make a great pet. One thing to be wary of is ensuring the substrate of the enclosure doesn’t contain pine shavings, which are poisonous to snakes and other reptiles.

9. Florida Banded Water Snake

The Florida banded water snake (Nerodia fasciata pictiventris) is native to the Southeast United States. It grows between two feet and slightly under four feet long, and is ovoviviparous. The Florida banded water snake is light brown on top, with red or black crossbands. Its belly is pale with darker colored markings, usually red or brown. It is a subspecies of the southern water snake (Nerodia fasciata); they can be told apart by the shape of the blotches on their bellies.

The snake is found in bodies of water in Florida, including lakes, rivers, swamps, and other wetlands, so long as the water is fresh. A semi-aquatic snake, it eats aquatic animals, including fish, frogs, and other amphibians. Sometimes it will eat birds, earthworms, smaller snakes and turtles, and crayfish. The Florida banded water snake is eaten by alligators and birds such as the great blue heron.

10. Burmese Python

As its name suggests, the Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is not native to Florida. It is native to Southeast Asia. Some Floridians brought the non-venomous snake back as a pet but released it into the wild when it got too big. It is by far the longest and heaviest snake listed here, and can grow over 16 feet long and weigh over 100 pounds. Females are especially large, often growing bigger than males. The largest Burmese python ever recorded in Florida measured 19 feet long and weighed 125 pounds, while the heaviest confirmed python weighed 198 pounds.