You are most likely to encounter a snake when the temperature is neither too hot or too cool. This means you chances of seeing a snake in the great outdoors during the middle of the day is greatly increased in the Spring and Fall of the year. With all the rain we have been having water snakes, including moccasins, will be moving into areas you would normally not expect to see them. As their habitat expands so do the snakes. Anyone outdoors this time of year need to be aware of their surroundings. Some of the wildlife we share outdoor space with do not respond well to close encounters.

Florida has more than 40 species of snakes, only six of them are venomous. The Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake is one of those poisonous species. Although they may attain a body length of 8 feet, it is rare to find a rattler longer than 4 feet as seen in the photo.

There are two types of venomous snakes in Florida. They are Crotalidae, or pit viper, and the Elapidae. Included in the pit viper family are the diamondback rattlesnake, canebrake rattlesnake, pigmy rattlesnake, cottonmouth and copperhead. The Elapidae family is represented in Florida by the coral snake.

For more information on the six poisonous snakes of Florida click here.

http://myfwc.com/media/1321792/Guide_to_venomous_snakes_in_FL.pdf

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/UW/UW22900.pdf

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