Snakes of Georgia

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Snakes of Georgia

• Original by Philip Gentry
• Modified by Georgia Agricultural Education
  Curriculum Office
• July 2004

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NON-VENOMOUS SNAKES
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Snakes of Georgia

• There are forty species of snakes that make
  Georgia their home.
• Of the forty, six are venomous.

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Worm Snake

• Very secretive snake that like to be in damp,
  rotting logs and deep, damp soil
• Feeds on earthworms
• Up to 14 long
• Preyed upon by milk and Kingsnakes

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Eastern Racer

• Adults are black in color
• Seen in open pine forests, forest edges, old
  fields, pastures, and meadows
• Uses keen eyesight and speed to prey on smaller
  mammals and reptiles

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Ringneck Snake

• Identified by the white ring around the neck and
  the yellow to red pattern on the belly
• Preys on earthworms, small snakes, lizards, and
  other small reptiles
• Is an uncommon snake because of their illusiveness

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Eastern Indigo Snake

• Is listed as a threatened species by the GA and
  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Glossy blue-black color
• Uses powerful jaws to kill prey
• Isolated to the southeastern corner of Georgia
  and Florida

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FUN FACT

• (Python Reticulatus) was recognized as the
  longest snake with the maximum verified length of
  10.1 meters (almost as long as a bus!)

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Eastern Rat Snakes

• Come in variety of Black, Yellow, and Grey
• One of the longest snakes in America, up to 72
• Constricts rats, squirrels, bird eggs, and birds
• Will vibrate tail when threatened, sounding like
  a rattlesnake

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Coachwhip

• Noted for its tanned leather color and long
  slender body
• Up to 102(8 6)
• May be one of Americas fastest snakes
• Preys on grasshoppers, cicadas, lizards, snakes,
  and small mammals

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Mud Snake

• Glossy black with red spots on the belly that
  extends up to the sides
• Found south of the fall line
• Preyed on by King snakes, Cottonmouths, and
  alligators

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Rainbow Snake

• Lives near sources of water where it burrows and
  stays out of sight
• Likes to feed on the American Eel, but is hunted
  by raccoons, other snakes, and Alligators
• Similar to the mud snake because of the hard,
  sharp scale on the tail

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Eastern and Southern Hognose

• Also called the southern adder because of the
  way it will spread its hood
• Comes in a variety of patterns, all in earthy
  tones
• Can be found all around the state, but mostly in
  areas near sandy loose soils
• Southern Hognose Snakes are lighter in color and
  smaller in size than the Eastern.
• They are uncommon, but not on any threatened or
  endangered list.

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FUN FACT

• The fastest land snake in the world is the
  aggressive black mamba found in the southern part
  of tropical Africa. It can reach speeds up to 12
  mph.

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Corn Snake

• Can be found all over the state, but prefers
  upland pine forest
• Hunts at night for rodents and small mammals
• Most commonly seen at night on roads

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FUN FACT

• The longest-lived snake on record was a 44
  year-old African Ball Python.

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Eastern King Snake

• One of the most encountered snakes in Georgia
• Characterized by the black and yellow bands
• Many Varieties
• Most famous for their ability to kill and eat
  venomous snakes

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Milk/Scarlet Kingsnake

• Mimics the coral snake, but always has a red
  snout and yellow rings are separated from the red
• Can be located in pine forest under snags
• Preferred prey is skinks

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Plainbelly Water Snake

• Can be grey to reddish on the back with a
  unpatterned belly
• Active February-November
• Prey on fish and amphibians
• Are found throughout GA except for the SE corner
  surrounding the Okefenokee Swamp

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Brown Water Snake

• The best catfisher that you will ever meet.
• Likes to hang around on tree limbs along rivers
  and streams, up to ten feet high
• Is brown with black squares on its back
• Common south of the fall line

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Common Garter Snake

• Found in wet and damp areas, not necessarily
  close to water
• Brownish black with yellow stripes
• Gives birth to live young
• Feeds on frogs, lizards, salamanders, and fish

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Florida Green Water Snake

• Relatively aggressive snake when agitated
• Greenish when in adult stages
• Live in the most southern part of Georgia and all
  of Florida
• Up to 74 long

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Pine Wood snake

• Very handsome dark brown snake
• Has 2 rows of yellow scales around upper lip
• Burrows into rotten pine logs
• Saliva is mildly toxic to frogs and lizards

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Queen Snake

• Tan to olive brown with yellow pinstripe down
  either side
• Good swimmer that feeds almost exclusively on
  crayfish
• Will retreat to water when threatened

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Brown Water Snake

• Active during the day
• Feeds on frogs and fish that live in the emerging
  vegetation near the waters edge
• Aggressive snake when startled. Unwelcome guest
  when falls into boat

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Midland Water Snake

• Fat bodied like other water snakes
• Often killed because of slight resemblance to the
  moccasin
• Up to five feet long
• Belly can be white with black markings or red
  with black markings

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Rough Green Snake

• Commonly known as the garden snake
• Mild mannered graceful snake that is beneficial
  because of its hunting of insects and small
  mammals.
• Up to 102 long

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Pine Snake

• Restricted to habitat with sandy soil
• Dorsal color is black to grey with a tan belly
• Powerful constrictors who hunt rats and other
  small mammals.
• When agitated, it will hiss, open mouth, and
  vibrate tail.

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Stripped Crayfish Snake

• Iridescent brown with three stripes down either
  side - yellow to orange
• Lives in marshes and wetlands
• Uses powerful jaws to eat hard shelled crayfish

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Ribbon Snake

• Named for its long slender body and the colorful
  stripes down the side of the body
• Found near the edges of stream, ponds, and
  marches
• Eats salamanders and frogs
• Common snake in Georgia

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Brown Snake

• Small grey-brown with distinctive black border
• Large numbers congregate and hibernate together.
• Feeds on earthworms, slugs, and snails

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Southeastern Crowned snake

• Reddish brown with black band that extends to the
  corner of the mouth
• Live in flat pine woods and oak forest where soil
  is damp
• Feeds on worms, slugs, and insect larva that it
  finds while burrowing in decayed logs

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Black Swamp Snake

• Handsome small snake usually no longer than 18
• Makes home near and around waterways
• Feeds on leaches, salamanders, and fish
• Fairly uncommon, but can be seen in enormous
  numbers at various sites in Georgia

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Red-bellied Snake

• Identified by its crimson red belly
• Often found with Smooth Earth snake
• When startled, it will curl its upper lip.
• Eats slugs and earthworms

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Smooth Earth Snake

• Very plain snake that is light brown
• Lives in Deciduous forest and surrounding ecotone
• Stays under rocks and likes to congregate with
  other small snakes

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Rough Earth Snake

• Small snake with rough scales
• Only seen when digging in the rich soils that it
  habitats
• Eats worms and whatever else it can find in the
  dirt

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Cool Picture

• Snake with a catfish

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Venomous Snakes
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Eastern Coral Snake

• Identified by the black, yellow, and red bands
  that encompass the entire body
• Black and red never touch
• Preys on small snakes and other small reptiles

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Copperhead

• Pit viper, light brown body with 15-18 hour glass
  dark brown bands
• Found in bottomland hardwood forest and piedmont
  pine forest
• Preys on a wide variety of insects, reptiles and
  small mammals

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Cottonmouth

• A stout bodied dark colored snake with a large
  white color mouth.
• Swims with its head out of water
• Preys on sirens, lizards, frogs, fish, and snakes
• Up to 74 long

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FUN FACT

• The fierce snake, or inland taipan, is the
  world's most venomous snake its toxin is more
  than 50 times as potent as an Indian cobra's!

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Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake

• The largest rattlesnake in the world
• Dark brown diamond pattern on a light yellow back
• Live in pine forest and abandoned fields
• Strikes up 175 mph

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Canebreak/Timber Rattlesnake

• Found in upland forest with rocky outcrops and
  other early to middle succession forest
• Feed on rabbits, squirrel, mice and sometime
  other snakes
• The large snake is preyed upon by bobcats,
  skunks, coyotes, and snake eating snakes.

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Pigmy Rattlesnake

• Called the ground rattler because it can only
  be heard from a few feet away
• Perhaps one of the more dangerous snakes because
  of its small size and quiet rattle
• Eats lizards, small snakes, and mice

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A Little Snake Humor

• The Bunny and the Snake Once upon a time
  (allegedly), in a nice little forest, there lived
  an orphaned bunny and an orphaned snake. By a
  surprising coincidence, both were blind from
  birth.
• One day the bunny was hopping through the forest,
  and the snake was slithering through the forest,
  when the bunny tripped over the snake and fell
  down. This, of course, knocked the snake about
  quite a bit.
• "Oh, my," said the bunny, "I'm terribly sorry. I
  didn't mean to hurt you. I've been blind since
  birth, so I can't see where I'm going. In fact,
  since I'm also an orphan, I don't know what I
  am."

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Humor Continued

• It's quite OK," replied the snake. "Actually, my
  story is much the same as yours. I, too, have
  been blind since birth, and also never knew my
  mother. Tell you what, maybe I could slither all
  over you, and work out what you are, so, at least
  you'll have that going for you."
• "Oh, that would be wonderful, " replied the
  bunny.
• So the snake slithered all over the bunny, and
  said, "Well, you're covered with soft fur, you
  have really long ears your nose twitches and
  you have a soft, cottony tail. I'd say that you
  must be a bunny rabbit."
• "Oh, thank you, thank you, " cried the bunny in
  obvious excitement. The bunny suggested to the
  snake, "Maybe I could feel you all over with my
  paw, and help you the same way you've helped me!"
  
• So the bunny felt the snake all over, and
  remarked, "Well, you're smooth and slippery, and
  you have a forked tongue and no backbone. I'd say
  you must be French."