CORAL SNAKE

Micrurus fulvius

The Coral Snake is the deadliest and most beautiful snake in Florida. It is slender, averaging 2 feet in length. Spends most of its time undergroud. There are some non-poisonous look-alikes, like the King Snake. The Coral Snake has brightly colored bands of red and black separated by narrow yellow bands. Remember, if the head is black, look out Jack! Red next to yellow can kill a fellow; red next to black is a friend of Jack!

EASTERN DIAMONDBACK RATTLESNAKE

Crotalus adamanteus

The Diamondback Rattlesnake is the most dangerous snake in the world. It is the largest species of Rattlesnakes. It can be more than 8 feet long. The Diamondback Rattlesnake is dark, thick, and heavy bodied with a broad head. It has a diamondback design pattern set off by white or yellow markings along the back. There are usually prominent rattles on the tip of the tail. It is commonly found in palmetto flatlands, pine woods, fields, and brushy or grassy areas. It can strike from half its length with blinding speed and deliver venom deep into tissue through hollow fangs.

COTTONMOUTH MOCCASIN

Agkistrodon piscivorous

The Cottonmouth Moccasin is also called the Water Moccasin. It is the only poisonous snake in Florida that lives in and near water all the time. He also changes color as he grows up from a baby to an adult. As he gets older the colors change from copper and brown to almost a solid black. You can identify him by the markings along the sides of his big, thick, triangular shaped head which is flat on top. Can be more than 5 feet long. The cottonmouth does not have to be coiled to strike. This guy will warn you by opening his mouth wide before he bites you. The last one I saw was in front of the hotel I work at back in May, 2006. He was looking for water. The Wildlife Preserve across the street is drying up due lack of rain.

DUSKY PYGMY RATTLESNAKE

Sistrurus miliarius

The Pygmy Rattlesnake is also called the Ground Rattler in Florida. He has a very mean temper and is found scattered all over the state. The average adult is about 18 inches long. He has a dusky gray ground color with black splotches along his body. He has a reddish-orange strip along his back that forms into a spear headed design on top of his neck and head. He lives in hammocks, piney woods, and around lakes, ponds or marshes. Has very small rattles that are difficult to hear. The rattle may sound like a buzzing insect.

SOUTHERN BLACK WIDOW SPIDER

Lactrodectus mactans

The Southern Black Widow is a shiny jet black color with a red hourglass on the underside of the abdomen and another red spot at the tip end of the abdomen. Latrodectus mactans is the largest spider of the family Theridiidae. The female averages 8-10 mm in length and has long slender legs and a round abdomen. Usually on the underside of the female's abdomen (venter) is a red hourglass mark and one or two red spots over the spinnerets and along the middle of her back. The male is 3-4 mm long with an elongated abdomen. The male's legs are larger than the female's and each joint is orange brown in the middle and black on the ends. On the sides of the male's abdomen there are four pairs of red and white stripes. Young spiderlings, or juveniles, are orange, brown and white; they acquire their black coloring with age, or with each molt.

It builds strong-walled retreats quite close to the ground and in dark sheltered spots. However, it also spreads its snares over plants. Webs of the black widow spider can be found in recesses under stones or logs in a woodpile, in crevices or holes in dirt embankments, in barns and outbuildings. They can also be found around lids of dust bins, around seats of outdoor privies, spaces under chips of wood, around stacked materials of any kind, in deserted animal burrows or rodent holes, and entwined in grape arbors. This spider may find its way into clothing or shoes and occasionally seeks a spot in a house to build a web, but it is usually not found indoors. When it does seek shelter in a building, it is due to cold weather and a need for a dry shelter. In addition, in the eastern United States, the black widow is associated with littered areas, with dumps of large cities, with garages, and storage sheds. In arid parts of Arizona, this spider inhabits almost every crevice in the soil and its nests are found in cholla cacti and agave plants.

It's bite can be deadly.