Florida Guide > Miscellaneous
The snake in Florida.
Snakes are a part of every day life in Florida, we all now that, and in fact there are somewhat around 50 different species that make their home in The Sunshine State (and why wouldn' t they? )
However, very few of you will come across a snake during your vacation unless you visit a zoo.
Of the 50 types of snake found in Florida only 6 are venomous and of those 6 only 4 live in the tourist areas we tend to frequent. The other two live in The Panhandle and Northern Florida.
The poisonous snakes are 3 different kinds of rattlesnake (dusky pygmy, eastern diamond back and the southern copperhead) the others are the eastern coral snake. the southern coral snake and the southern copperhead.
People are afraid of snakes, it is true, but they are more scared of you and rarely attack unless threatened.
I did a little research on deaths in Florida and since the turn of the century I can only find 2 deaths from snake bites and in both cases it was as a result of the victims trying to kill or annoy the snake.
In the case of a fire marshall who shot a rattlesnake in a neighbours back yard in 2005, , he foolishly reached under a shed to try to pull it out and of course, it turned on him. .
So apart from being endlessly fascinating, what good do they do?
Well, the main benefit is that they are fond of rodents and keep the mice and rat population down.
The rest of their diet consists of toads, insects, worms, frogs and fish though a snake was killed recently with deer in it' s belly. Unbelievable, but true.
Some snakes will even eat its cousins. For example, indigos and king snakes will polish off a venomous snake no problem!
The snakes that live in urban areas are rarely deadly and are often attracted by food left out for the birds or other creatures.
Well I hope my little round up of the snakes of Florida has enlightened you and that you agree that along with the Florida alligator, the snake gets a bad press! So while you are on vacation, do not even give them a passing thought!
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