A few of the 44 snake species found in Florida are particularly eye-catching due to their vibrant red colors. These red snakes in Florida are known for their vibrant coloration, which makes them stand out against the green foliage of their natural habitat. It’s important to learn how to identify some of these snakes, especially those that are in the wild, because while some are harmless, others can be venomous.
In this article, we’ll look into the lives of some of these creatures in the state and get to know some of them.
10 Red snakes in Florida
1. Red Corn snake
- Scientific Name: Pantherophis guttatus
A red corn snake is a type of non-venomous snake found in Florida. It got its name from the checkered pattern of its scales, which resemble the pattern found on kernels, as well as its red coloration. They’re able to thrive in many different environments, such as pine forests, hardwood hammocks, swamps, agricultural fields, and even some suburban areas that are close to their natural habitats.
These creatures are normally quite calm, but if they feel threatened, they’ll form an s-shape to indicate their readiness to strike at any moment.
2. Pine Woods Littersnake
- Scientific Name: Rhadinaea flavilata
The Pine Woods Littersnake is a non-venomous, small snake that lives in Florida’s pine forests, hardwood hammocks, cypress strands, bayheads, and barrier islands. It’s one of the red snakes that can be found throughout the majority of the Florida peninsula, all the way down to the region around Lake Okeechobee.
The pine woods litter snake can have a coloration that’s either reddish-orange or reddish-brown, and it has lips that are a whitish-yellow color. Younger species have a more vibrant coloration than adults.
3. Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake
- Scientific Name: Sistrurus miliarius barbouri
The Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake is a very small venomous snake with a thick body and a reddish-brown stripe that runs down the middle of its back. When fully grown, it measures between 12 and 24 inches, making it one of the smallest rattlesnakes that can be found in North America. Except for the Florida Keys, this species can be found in every county in the state of Florida.
4. Harlequin Coralsnake
- Scientific Name: Micrurus fulvius
The Harlequin coral snake, also called the coralsnake, is a venomous snake that you can find all across Florida. This species can be recognized by their slender bodies with broad rings of red and black color separated by narrow rings of yellow color.
They’re difficult to spot because of their elusive nature, but the flatwoods, hammocks, and edges of swamps that are dry and well-drained are the environments in which you are most likely to find them.
5. Scarletsnake
- Scientific Name: Cemophora coccinea
A scarletsnake is a brightly-colored, non-venomous snake that can be found in Florida, except for the Florida Keys. Because of how similar they look, these snakes are often mistaken for harlequin coral snakes. However, scarletsnakes have more irregular blotches of red and whitish-gray that are separated by black.
They prefer to hide under rocks, logs, and other kinds of debris; this is one reason why they’re rarely seen even though they’re abundant throughout the state.
6. Scarlet Kingsnake
- Scientific Name: Lampropeltis elapsoides
If you have seen a snake with red rings on its body, there is a good chance that you have seen a scarlet kingsnake. This snake species is widespread across the state of Florida, but it’s most commonly encountered in moist environments like hammocks and pine flatwoods.
This creature can grow up to 20 inches long and has red and yellow rings that are bordered by another black ring. They’ll strike without hesitation if they perceive a threat and may even vibrate their tail like a rattlesnake.
7. Red-bellied Mudsnake
- Scientific Name: Farancia abacura
Red-bellied mudsnakes is a type of non-venomous snake that lives in Florida’s water environments. They’re most commonly found in areas of freshwater that are either completely still or move very slowly, such as cypress swamps, drainage ditches, and canals.
They have thick bodies and can grow to be quite large, reaching a maximum length of up to 54 inches as adults. These animals are easy to recognize because their bodies are dark or bluish in color, and they have numerous bars on their bellies that extend up to their sides and can be either pink or red in color.
8. Rainbow Snake
- Scientific Name: Farancia erytrogramma
The Rainbow Snake is a unique type of snake that lives in the Panhandle and parts of the northern peninsula along St. Marys, St. Johns, and Suwannee river drainages. They’re excellent swimmers and can typically be found inhabiting the clear waters of rivers and springs.
It can grow to be up to 48 inches long on average and has an iridescent black or blue body coloration with red stripes running along its sides and backs. Since freshwater American eels make up the majority of their diet, they’re also sometimes referred to as Eel Moccasins.
9. Red-bellied Snake
- Scientific Name: Storeria occipitomaculata
In the state of Florida, you are most likely to come across a red-bellied snake in the northern peninsula all the way south to the counties of Pasco and Orange, and they can also be found in the western part of the panhandle.
They’re one of the snakes that don’t bite. Instead, they curl the scales on their upper lips up to show their upper teeth and scare away predators.
These creatures can range in color from a dark gray to a reddish brown, and their backs are striped. Their bellies are a brilliant shade of red, which is where the name came from.
10. Black Swampsnake
- Scientific Name: Liodytes pygaea
The black swampsnake is a highly aquatic species of snake that’s found throughout Florida, from the peninsula to the Panhandle, and all the way west to the Blackwater River State Forest in Santa Rosa County. Its natural habitats include various wetland environments, such as swamps, marshes, rivers, and streams with slow currents.
These snakes have a glossy black back and a bright red belly that’s marked with black markings around the edges.
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