Snakes in Florida

4 venomous species · 20 species covered

Six venomous species including the eastern coral snake and the eastern diamondback. Florida also hosts introduced species such as the Burmese python in the far south.

Venomous snakes in Florida

These are the species worth being able to recognise. Every one of them would rather avoid you than bite.

Harmless snakes in Florida

Far more common than the venomous species, and the source of nearly every alarming snake report. Several are actively useful to have around.

Banded Water SnakeHarmless

Dark crossbands the whole length of the body on a tan, grey or reddish ground.

Plain-bellied Water SnakeHarmless

Adults are plain dark olive, grey or brown above with no pattern at all, and a completely unmarked belly that is yellow, orange or red.

Eastern RatsnakeHarmless

Adults are glossy black above with a faint trace of blotching visible in strong light, and a white or grey chin and throat.

Corn SnakeHarmless

Bold red or orange-brown saddles outlined in black on an orange, tan or grey ground.

Scarlet KingsnakeHarmless

Bright red, black and yellow rings — but the red rings are bordered by black on both sides, and the snout is red.

Eastern KingsnakeHarmless

Glossy blue-black with narrow cream or yellow bands that fork and join along the sides, forming a chain-link pattern.

Common Garter SnakeHarmless

Three pale lengthwise stripes — one down the spine and one along each side — on a dark ground, often with a checkerboard of dark spots between them.

Eastern Hognose SnakeMildly venomous

Highly variable — blotched brown and tan, solid grey, olive, orange or plain black.

North American RacerHarmless

Uniform satin black, slate blue, olive or brown above with a plain pale belly and usually a white chin.

CoachwhipHarmless

Typically dark at the head and fading to tan or pink towards the tail, where the scale pattern resembles a braided whip.

Rough Green SnakeHarmless

Uniform bright leaf-green above with a plain white, cream or pale yellow belly.

Dekay's BrownsnakeHarmless

Plain brown or grey-brown with a slightly paler stripe down the back, edged by two rows of small dark dots.

Red-bellied SnakeHarmless

Grey, brown or nearly black above, sometimes with a faint pale stripe, and a startlingly bright orange or red belly.

Ring-necked SnakeHarmless

Smooth slate-grey or blue-black above with a bright yellow or orange ring around the neck and a matching yellow, orange or red belly, sometimes spotted with black.

Brahminy BlindsnakeHarmless

Shiny dark grey to purplish-black, the same thickness from end to end, with no visible neck.

Eastern Indigo SnakeHarmless

Uniform glossy blue-black over the whole body, with an iridescent sheen in sunlight.

Before anything else

  • Back away and leave it alone. A snake that can see you leaving has no reason to bite. Most bites in the United States happen to people who picked up, cornered, or tried to kill a snake.
  • Never handle a snake to identify it. Every identification on this site can be made from a photo or from several feet away.
  • If someone is bitten, call emergency services now. Keep the limb still and below the heart, remove rings and watches, and go to hospital. Do not cut, suck, apply ice, or use a tourniquet — all of these make outcomes worse.
  • Do not try to catch the snake for identification. A photo from a distance is enough, and hospitals treat symptoms rather than species.

In the US, the Poison Help line is 1-800-222-1222. This site is a reference, not medical advice.

Identify what you saw in Florida

Already filtered to Florida. Add the markings, size and behaviour to narrow it further.

1.Which state are you in?

The most powerful question here. Most states have only one or two venomous species, and several have none at all.

2.What were the markings like?

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Judge this from the back of the snake. Whether the pattern continues onto the belly is the single most useful thing to notice with a ringed snake.

3.How big was it?

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People consistently overestimate snake length, so this only narrows things roughly — neighbouring sizes stay on the list.

4.Where did you see it?

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Habitat rules out a surprising amount. A snake several feet up a tree is very unlikely to be a pit viper.

5.Did it do any of these?

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Behaviour is often more reliable than colour. Pick everything you actually saw — not what you think it might have done.

6.What colour was it?

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Deliberately last, and it never removes anything from the list. Snakes look completely different when wet, shedding, or seen in shade.