The Snake Watch project began in 2022.  The purpose was to educate the public about which of the 40 species and subspecies of snakes found in the Pensacola Bay area were most often encountered and what time of year they were.  We do not train volunteers to do look for snakes, rather, as people encounter them during their normal business day, they report to us.

Winter is one of the slower months with reports ranging from 6 to 57.  The number of species ranged from 5 to 13.  And the most frequently encountered species being the cottonmouth and banded water snake.

For 2026 we have had 43 reports and 9 species.  The top three most frequently encountered were the cottonmouth, eastern ribbon snake, and the southern black racer.  Here is the complete report for this winter.

With spring comes breeding, and with breeding comes more encounters.

If you see a snake, take a photo and send it to me at roc1@ufl.edu.  Let me know which county you are in. 

If you have any questions about snakes, or would like one of our two snake program presentations, let me know as well.

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