Florida Snakes
Florida snakes, together with the many turtles, lizards, alligators and other reptiles are part of a complex wildlife structure that plays an incredible role in Florida’s ecosystem maintenance. Florida snakes species are numerous: there are actually forty-four species living in incredibly varied habitats, from salt marshes to fresh water marshes and dry uplands or coastal mangrove swamps to residential areas.
Only six Florida snakes are venomous and they happily coexist with their non-poisonous cousins. They even go into towns and cities too. The best way to stay out of trouble with snakes is to learn their morphology and therefore be able to identify the various Florida snakes. The wisest approach to adopt in relation to all snakes is avoidance.
The Coral snake and pit vipers are the most dangerous Florida snakes. They can be identified by a wide range of characteristics. Pit vipers include the Rattlesnake, the Cottonmouth and the Copperhead. They all have vertical eye pupils, a v-shaped head and facial pits: one between the eyes and nostrils and the others on each side of the head.
The poison of this type of Florida snakes is haemotoxic, which means that their venom attacks the red blood cells, destroying the walls of the blood vessels and causing uncontrolled bleeding. Coral snakes however, use neurotoxic venom, with the toxins in the poison acting on the body’s nerves causing paralysis.
Most of the snake bites reported every year in the United States are caused by Florida snakes or by rattlesnakes to be more precise. Because their venom spreads very rapidly throughout the body, the victim will die within less than half an hour without immediate anti-venom.
A major exception in this group of Florida snakes is the copperhead, the venom of which very rarely, if ever, requires an antidote. Their toxin is the least powerful and thus they are considered the least dangerous of the poisonous Florida snakes.
Because of the threat they pose. poisonous snakes are the first kind to attract attention, however the most widespread of Florida snakes is the black racer, a non-toxic species that relies on very sharp fangs to capture its prey.
Although home owners usually try to remove snakes from their gardens, experts stress the fact that, without them, rodents would soon multiply out of control giving us an even more cause for concern.
Therefore, unless you have special causes for worry, like snakes breeding in large numbers in your garden or outhouses for example, there is no valid reason to upset the lives of these usually shy, useful animals.
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