Please I.D. this reptile

[Ocean Lover]

I saved you the trouble of digging. Here are my pics from last fall:

I'm sooo not a snake person but these are national geographic worthy pics.I never see snakes up here unless we're at the lake or out at my MIL's pond. I would freak out if one showed up in my yard. :::shiver shiver:::

 

[Rudyjohn]

thanks :angry:

 

[Smiling JOe]

johnrudy, if you don't like those, I can post the one of the cute little snake which I almost stepped on today. It is really cute, but the photo is rather blah, since I cannot control the focus on my cam.

 

[elgordoboy]

Thanks for all the help, I didn't want to have to kill him.

 

[Minnie]

Thanks for all the help, I didn't want to have to kill him.

Please don't kill any of them, they do serve a purpose. Corn snakes eat rats and mice, they were commonly called corn snakes because you could find them in the corn bins.

 

[elgordoboy]

Please don't kill any of them, they do serve a purpose. Corn snakes eat rats and mice, they were commonly called corn snakes because you could find them in the corn bins.

My eyes are on the front of my head not the sides, I would have eaten him if I'd had to assassinate him. But I am glad I am doing neither.

 

[Matt J]

Please don't kill any of them, they do serve a purpose. Corn snakes eat rats and mice, they were commonly called corn snakes because you could find them in the corn bins.

I'll agree up to a point on that. Water moccasins, vile nasty creatures. Encounter one and you will definitely change your tune quickly.

 

[seagrovegirl]

I'll agree up to a point on that. Water moccasins, vile nasty creatures. Encounter one and you will definitely change your tune quickly.

You are right...NAST, NASTY snake!!!! Yewww. As a kid, I was run out of Oyster Lake in Dune Allen by a water moccasin....nightmarish!

 

[Miss Critter]

From UF Extension:

Florida is home to 45 species of native snakes, six of which are venomous (poisonous). The venomous species include five pit vipers (Eastern Diamond-backed Rattlesnake, Timber Rattlesnake, Pygmy Rattlesnake, Copperhead, and Cottonmouth) and the Coral Snake. Copperheads and Timber Rattlesnakes have a limited range in Florida. Copperheads only occur in a small area of Florida's Panhandle just west of Tallahassee, and Timber Rattlesnakes are only found in northern Florida as far south as Gainesville and in limited portions of the Panhandle. The other four venomous species are found throughout the state. Florida's venomous snakes occur in a variety of natural habitats, ranging from swamps to dry woods.

The five species of pit vipers all share several characteristics. The pupils of their eyes are vertical (cat-like) and they have a deep facial pit between each eye and nostril. These characteristics can be difficult to see unless a snake is examined closely, so do not rely on them to differentiate venomous from non-venomous species.
Florida's pit vipers have blocky, triangular-shaped heads that are distinctly broader than their necks. Relative to their length, these species are heavy-bodied snakes.

 

[pgurney]

For identification purposes - please note that a Copperhead has bands that get narrow at the top. NO nonvenomous snake in North America has bands that get more narrow on the top of the snake. It is the quickest and easiest way to tell.

Now one only has to remember you're talking about the dark bands.