Snake Season In FL Underway: How To Stay Safe

FLORIDA — Residents will want to practice "sssafety" among Florida's slithering serpents.

Snake season generally begins in April in Florida. The Sunshine State is home to 44 snake species, six of which are considered venomous, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Those that are venomous are the eastern coral snake, the southern copperhead, the cottonmouth, the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the timber rattlesnake and the dusky pygmy rattlesnake.

Places where snakes can be found include coastal mangroves, salt marshes, freshwater wetlands and dry uplands and residential areas.

These reptiles are viable for the state's ecosystem, lessening rodent populations and helping to maintain balances, the FWC said.

Even those considered venomous could be valuable as they eat ticks in their native areas, the FWC said.

"Snakes don't purposefully position themselves to frighten people. They'd much rather avoid encounters and usually will flee," the FWC said.

"There is no good reason to kill a snake except in the unlikely situation of a venomous snake posing immediate danger to people or pets. Snakes usually bite people only if they are molested; it's their only means of self-defense."

Some snakes are protected on the Endangered and Threatened Species list. They are the: Atlantic salt marsh snake, Eastern indigo snake, Florida brown snake, Florida pine snake, key ringneck snake, rim rock crowned snake and short-tailed snake.

The Florida Museum at the University of Florida compiled identifiers for pinpointing the species of a snake. Patterns help to recognize snakes.

Snakes can range in size from 15 centimeters to more than 7 meters and can live in diverse climates, including temperate to tropical, humid to arid, aquatic to arboreal and sea-level to mountaintops, university officials said.

They can live as long as 3o years, and the behavior varies, university officials said.

As for snake sightings, university officials warn residents to leave these reptiles alone. The FWC tells people to stand back away from them.

Snakes found in backyards should first be identified to determine if they are non-venomous. If so, university officials say to let it be.

"Regardless of what some people say, Florida snakes are not aggressive, and unless they are cornered, most will flee when they see you," university officials said.

If one is bitten by a snake, university officials share the following advice:

• Most people are bitten on the hands and arms when they are handling or trying to kill a snake. Therefore, if you are uncertain of its identity, do not try to catch or even kill a snake.
• For a short time after a snake is killed, its reflexes may continue to work. Those reflexes typically cause the body to writhe slowly, but poking or prodding a freshly killed snake can cause a convulsive contraction and even a bite, so do not handle a newly killed venomous snake.
• Stay calm, remove any rings that could restrict circulation if tissues swell, keep the bitten limb below the level of the heart.
• The only acceptable treatment for venomous snakebite, involves the use of antivenin. So if you or someone else is bitten by a venomous snake, seek immediate attention at the nearest hospital or medical facility.