Snakes of Florida
Florida Fish and Wildlife counts about 50 native snake species in the state. Six of them are venomous. Here is every one, where it lives, and the names each agency uses for it.
Venomous Snakes of Florida
Five pit vipers and one coral snake. Sizes and ranges are the Florida Museum of Natural History’s; where FWC uses a different common name, both are given, because a reader searching one will not find the other.
Pit vipers
Five of Florida’s six. UF/IFAS groups them this way; the Florida Museum species pages describe the facial pit without using the label.
Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnake
FWC: Eastern diamondback rattlesnake
Crotalus adamanteus
- Size
- 33–72 in
- Range
- Throughout Florida, every county
The largest venomous snake in the state.
Species guideTimber Rattlesnake
Florida Poison Control: Canebrake
Crotalus horridus
- Size
- 36–60 in
- Range
- Only 12 counties in northern Florida
Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake
Also written Pygmy Rattlesnake
Sistrurus miliarius barbouri
- Size
- 12–24 in
- Range
- Throughout Florida, every county
Florida Cottonmouth
FWC: Cottonmouth · also Water Moccasin
Agkistrodon conanti
- Size
- 30–48 in
- Range
- Every county, plus the Upper Keys and several Gulf islands
Eastern Copperhead
FWC: Southern copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix
- Size
- 22–36 in
- Range
- Panhandle only — western tip and the Apalachicola River
The one Florida venomous snake most of the state never meets.
Species guideCoral snakes
The one non-pit-viper. Red rings bordered by yellow.
Harlequin Coralsnake
FWC: Eastern coral snake
Micrurus fulvius
- Size
- 20–30 in
- Range
- Every county, plus Key Largo
FWC and UF/IFAS say “about 50 species of native snakes”; the Florida Museum says “55 species of snakes established in Florida”. Those are different denominators — native versus established, the latter including naturalised non-natives. All three agree on six venomous species.
What to Do About a Bite
Every step below is one that CDC NIOSH, the Florida agencies and poison control all agree on. Snakebite is a medical emergency; nothing here replaces calling for help.
Do
- Call 911, or Poison Help on 1-800-222-1222.
- Get away from the snake. Do not try to catch or kill it.
- Stay calm and still, and take off rings, watches and anything tight.
- Wash the bite and cover it with a clean dry dressing.
- Get to hospital. Call ahead so antivenom is ready.
Do not
- Do not cut the wound or try to suck out venom.
- Do not apply a tourniquet or anything that restricts blood flow.
- Do not pack it in ice or immerse it in cold water.
- Do not use electric shock, alcohol, or painkillers you were not told to take.
On limb position: agencies disagree. Some say keep the bite below heart level, CDC NIOSH says a neutral position. We are not going to arbitrate medical guidance, so the step is left out here — follow whatever the emergency operator tells you.
~7,000–8,000
venomous snakebites a year in the US (CDC NIOSH)
about 5
deaths a year in the US (CDC NIOSH)
1-800-222-1222
Florida Poison Control
No Florida agency publishes a Florida-specific bite or death count, so this page does not invent one.
What to wear: Florida DOH: “stay out of tall grass or wear thick boots, and keep hands and feet out of areas you can’t see.” UF/IFAS adds leather gloves for gardening.
Full detail on our snake bite first aid page, and snake gaiters for Florida for the lower-leg cover those agencies keep recommending.
Where this came from
Species names, sizes, ranges and bite figures are taken from the agencies below. Where they disagree with each other, this page says so rather than picking the number that reads best.