Florida Snakes
Florida snakes, together with the turtles, lizards, alligators and other reptiles are part of a complicated wildlife structure that plays an incredible role in the maintenance of Florida’s ecosystem. There are many species of Florida snakes. There are actually forty-four species living in unbelievably different habitats, ranging from salt marshes and fresh water marshes to dry uplands and coastal mangrove swamps to domestic areas.
Only six Florida snakes are poisonous and they happily live with their non-poisonous cousins. They even go into towns and cities too. The best way to stay out of harm’s way with snakes is to learn their morphology and therefore be able to identify the various Florida snakes. The wisest approach to adopt in relation to all snakes is avoidance.
The Coral snake and pit vipers are the most dangerous Florida snakes. They can be identified by a wide range of characteristics. Pit vipers include the Rattlesnake, the Cottonmouth and the Copperhead. They all have vertical eye pupils, a v-shaped head and facial pits: one between the eyes and nostrils and the others on each side of the head.
The venom of this type of Florida snakes is haemotoxic, which means that their poison works on the red blood cells, destroying the walls of the blood vessels and causing uncontrolled bleeding. Coral snakes however, use a neurotoxic venom, the toxins of which act on the body’s nerves causing paralysis.
Most of the snake bites reported every year in the United States are attacks by Florida snakes or by rattlesnakes to be precise. Because their venom spreads rapidly through the body, the victim will almost certainly die within half an hour without the immediate injection of anti-venom.
A big exception in this group of Florida snakes is the copperheads, the venom of which rarely requires an antidote. Their toxins are the least potent and so they are considered t be the least dangerous of the poisonous Florida snakes.
It is precisely because of the danger that they present that poisonous snakes get the most attention, although the most common of Florida snakes is the Black Racer, which is a non-poisonous species that depends on its sharp fangs to hold onto its prey.
Although home owners usually try to remove snakes from their gardens, specialists stress the fact that, without them, rats and mice would soon multiply out of control giving us an even more cause for concern.
So, unless there are any exceptional causes for worry, like snakes breeding in great numbers in your garden or outhouses, there is no real reason why you should interfere with the lives of these usually retiring, helpful animals.