There has been some misinformation being spread around Facebook lately concerning Copperheads (see above). The original post was been shared thousands of times before the original poster finally deleted it. Unfortunately it continues to spread. Hopefully this post will work to counteract that misinformation and I encourage everyone who reads this to share it.Read More| Wild Snakes : Education and Discussion
There are six venomous snakes native to the state of Florida. Four of these range practically the entirety of the state: the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, the Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake, the Florida Cottonmouth, and the Eastern (“Harlequin”) coralsnake. Two species can only be found in Northern counties: the Eastern Copperhead, and the Canebrake (“Timber”) Rattlesnake.Read More| Wild Snakes : Education and Discussion
Crotalus scutulatus, AKA the Mojave Rattlesnake, is a pit viper known for its particularly powerful neurotoxic-hemotoxic venom, one of the most potent in the world. The Mojave Rattlesnake can be found in the arid desert regions of the Southwestern United States and Northern to Central Mexico. A common nickname for these snakes is “Mojave Green”,Read More| Wild Snakes : Education and Discussion
The Sidewinder Rattlesnake (Crotalus cerastes) as well as the Desert Horned Viper (Cerastes cerastes) are small to medium sized vipers commonly found in sandy desert regions – the former in the Southwestern United States and Mexico, and the latter in North Africa and parts of the Middle East. Sidewinders and Horned Vipers are incredibly convergent,Read More| Wild Snakes : Education and Discussion
The Dekay’s brown snake (Storeria dekayi) is a small colubrid species found throughout the eastern half of the United States, northern Mexico, and parts of southern Canada. This species may be confused for redbellied snakes (Storeria occipitomaculata) but lacks the characteristic spot found behind the head that can be used an an identifier between theRead More| Wild Snakes : Education and Discussion
The timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) is regularly a species of interest among amateurs and experts. This species has the largest range of any rattlesnake and can be found from New England south to Florida, on the eastern coast of the United States, and west from Minnesota to Texas. This species is facing severe declines acrossRead More| Wild Snakes : Education and Discussion
It seems there are members who are unsure what a species is, why we use this term, and why scientific nomenclature is preferred to common names. The use of scientific nomenclature dates to the 1700’s with Carl Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy. Linnaeus was the first to organize and assign names to specific organismsRead More| Wild Snakes : Education and Discussion
The eastern diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus adamanteus, is the largest recognized rattlesnake species. The average size for this species is between three and six feet (36-72 in), but the largest recorded individual measured eight feet in length (96 in). Life expectancy in the wild is less than 15 years but specimens in captivity can live toRead More| Wild Snakes : Education and Discussion
Native to central Arizona down into southwestern Sinaloa, Mexico, the Sonoran Coralsnake (Micruroides euryxanthus) is comprised of three subspecies, with the Arizona Coralsnake (Micruroides e. euryxanthus) being the only subspecies located in the U.S. M.euryxanthus australis is found in Sonora, Mexico, and M.euryxanthus neglectus is found in Sinaloa, Mexico. Several physical characteristics that differ fromRead More| Wild Snakes : Education and Discussion
The United States is home to three species of venomous coralsnake in two genera. The Harlequin (Eastern) Coralsnake and the Texas Coralsnake are in the genus Micrurus, while the Arizona Coralsnake is placed in the genus Micruroides. All three species are venomous Elapids (Family Elapidae) and possess neurotoxic venom, which works to paralyze the nervousRead More| Wild Snakes : Education and Discussion