There are till this day 45 different types of snakes in Florida. Out of these forty five species only six species are poisonous and the rest 39 species are not poisonous and hence can cause no harm to human beings. These harmless 39 species needs to be protected for the ecological balance as these snakes can keep a check on the population of rodents, insects, rabbits and other small animals.

For southern copper head- the other names of these snakes are copper head, chunk head, and highland moccasin.

The scientific name of this poisonous snake in our lovely state of Florida is agkistrodon contortrix contortrix. These snakes are small ones and can reach a maximum length of 53 inches. The body of the snake will be stout and will have alternate band of dark and light brown. Due to the effect of constriction at the backbone, the dark bands get hourglass shape.

The dark bands will have light centers at the side of the body. At times pinkish tinted southern copperheads can also be seen. The pupil elliptical and will have a catlike slit. Facial pit [deep] can be seen between the eye and the nostril. For the cotton mouth this is the other poisonous snake in florida.

The other names are cottonmouth moccasin, Florida cottonmouth, and water mocassin. The scientific name of this snake is agkistrodon piscivorous. The average size of the adult snake will be between 20 -48 inches. These snakes are heavy bodied and will appear dark colored. The young ones are found to posses cross bands that are reddish in color.

Speckles and dark spots can be seen in the dark cross bands. Dark, broad facial stripe will camouflage the eye. The thick head will appear distinctly broader than the neck. Catlike pupil and the pit between the eye and the nostril can be seen. The head top will be covered by scales that are like plates.

As a last warning, the eastern rattle snake is yet another venomous snake located in the rare lake and swamp areas of Florida. The scientific name is crotalus adamanteus. The other common names are rattle snake, diamond back, and rattler. The adults can grow to the length of 96 inches but the average size of the adult snake will range anywhere between 37- 73 inches. The body of the snake is large and heavy.

Presence of dark diamonds with cream color border and brown color center is the characteristic of this type of snakes. The color of the tail will be different from rest of the body. At the tails, the diamond will not be seen, instead bands will be seen. Dark stripe can be seen running diagonally to the eye in the large and thick head.