South Florida Rat Snake

Perhaps the most common is the eastern rat snake which is widespread from new york to florida.

South florida rat snake. An american alligator and a burmese python in everglades. It s also found in a good chunk of north america east of the appalachians into canada. It kills its prey by grabbing it with its mouth then wrapping its body around. The florida banded water snake for example is common near bodies of water and is entirely harmless.

Top of the head b. This article focuses on the north and central american species in the pantherophis genus. Of florida s 46 native species of snakes 34 are found in the south florida region shown in dark green on this map including four of the six venomous species timber rattlesnakes and copperheads are only found in north florida three non native species are also found in south florida. There are numerous species and subspecies of rat snake across the world.

This list of snakes of florida includes all snakes in the u s. South florida s snakes. They are a morph of black rat snake eastern rat snake with orange or yellow coloring all over. Red rat snake corn snake eastern rat snake yellow rat snake.

Different species of snake can often be distinguished by their characteristic color patterns. Classically these snakes have yellow irises and four barrow brown stripes that go down their backs. But where you re likely to find them you can normally find cottonmouths. Eastern ratsnake blotched juvenile upper image and striped adult lower image photos by kenney krysko flmnh upper photo and dirk stevenson lower photo.

Florida snakes visual identification. The most familiar rat snakes in the florida peninsula are the yellow rat snakes. Side of the head e. Based on the photo mitchell took her sparring partner looked like an eastern rat snake a largely nonvenomous reptile according to the national wildlife federation.

In south florida you re likely to find coral snakes eastern diamondbacks and pygmy rattlesnakes. Others have dark or light markings organized into stripes spots blotches or some other pattern. As you might guess from the photographs on this page the yellow rat snake is a constrictor. Front face view of the head d.

State of florida non venomous. Underside of the head chin and throat c. It s range includes most of florida east of the apalachicola river south to key largo. Some are single uniform colors.

In florida the rat snake occurs in the panhandle east of the apalachicola river and throughout the peninsula south to key largo however it does readily hybridize with the gray rat snake pantherophis spiloides in the panhandle. Weekly keeled scales range.