Identify Snake Florida

[LostTarget]

Hiking in Northeast Florida. Two snakes in photo.

Any idea what type of snake?

[poison123]

look like

Cottonmouth/water moccasin (Agkistrodon piscivorus)

Venomous.

[Pareeeee]

look like

Cottonmouth/water moccasin (Agkistrodon piscivorus)

Venomous.

Seconded. Was thinking the same thing.

[IW17]

Could be. To me it looks like a dark pair of Dusky pigmy rattlesnakes. The brown stripe above the eye is a clue. How big were they and what terrain were they in? Was there water nearby? It still could be a pair of cotton mouth but it's hard to be certain.

[Sublimeballs]

Could be. To me it looks like a dark pair of Dusky pigmy rattlesnakes. The brown stripe above the eye is a clue. How big were they and what terrain were they in? Was there water nearby? It still could be a pair of cotton mouth but it's hard to be certain.

I was thinking Pygmy rattler aswell. The pattern doesn't look cottonmouth to me but it could be. Either way it's definitely a pit viper and VENOMOUS!

[LostTarget]

RE: Water

Not very large if compared to a rattle snake. They were in the Guana River wildlife area.

There is water nearby, but they were in a dry area along the trail. I thought they may have been mating as they had no interest in living.

The diamond shape on top of the head is something I cannot find when looking at various photos on the internet.

I'd post a larger image of the snake, but as a new member I'm finding this is not possible, as I keep getting denied.

The only workaround to this is to Google "Guana River - The Lost Target" to see the full size photos I posted. But not something I would usually would not do as I have no desire to draw traffic to another site.

[sharthun]

Yeah looks like dusky Pigmy Rattlesnakes to me.

[pdomensis]

I'm not from the east. Do cottonmouths have keeled scales? They look like rattlesnakes to me.

[IW17]

I'm not from the east. Do cottonmouths have keeled scales? They look like rattlesnakes to me.

Yes they do. But different keels. Hard to explain unless you see them side by side.

[limey]

Dark phase Dusky pygmy's. Looks just like the ones I work with.

The smallish head and patterning is the giveaway. Cottonmouths have different banding, are chunkier, and have a thin white strip near the head. A pygmy eye is that unique translucent coppery colour rarely seen on other species.

[StudentoReptile]

Get out the dichotomous key for Florida! Trying to ID snakes over the internet will go round and round endlessly. That is what dichotomous keys are for.

[pdomensis]

I would have poked it with a stick to see if it rattled. End of debate.

[Teal]

I would have poked it with a stick to see if it rattled. End of debate.

This literally made me laugh! I was thinking along the same line... If the picture only showed the tails...!

[Sublimeballs]

I would have poked it with a stick to see if it rattled. End of debate.

Made me laugh enough to draw a bit of unwanted attention at work.

[LostTarget]

Thanks for every ones input.

[Pareeeee]

I take back my suggestion. Although the head shape and even some of the markings look a lot like a Cottonmouth I'm pretty sure I was wrong now.

I think everyone saying Dusky Pigmy Rattlesnake is right. Take a look at what I noticed about the marking on the back of its head:

http://i.imgur.com/JZ7m7zm.png?1

Also note that OP's snake has small spots just like the Pigmy Rattler (you can just make them out, possibly the snake was going into a shed) which is VERY different than the large markings on a Cottonmouth:

http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/images/wetlands/cottonmouth_5958.jpg

[sharthun]

Yeah the smaller spots and copper colored eyes much different than the cottonmouth.


I take back my suggestion. Although the head shape and even some of the markings look a lot like a Cottonmouth I'm pretty sure I was wrong now.

I think everyone saying Dusky Pigmy Rattlesnake is right. Take a look at what I noticed about the marking on the back of its head:

http://i.imgur.com/JZ7m7zm.png?1

Also note that OP's snake has small spots just like the Pigmy Rattler (you can just make them out, possibly the snake was going into a shed) which is VERY different than the large markings on a Cottonmouth:

http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/images/wetlands/cottonmouth_5958.jpg

[limey]

Once you look at enough varied pictures of different venomous species you are able to tell the difference quite quickly. I'm lucky that I've had enough time on my hands over the years to sit and browse hundreds upon hundreds of google images of different species, comparing the different regional variations and colour differences.

From an evolutionary perspective, cottonmouths and pygmy rattlers are more alike than you might think. Not only because they tend to occupy the same (ish) region of the world - with similar threats and temperatures etc etc... so the physical adaptations they have made to live in their respective environment/s are fairly similar - hence it is no surprise that they might look similar too.

By comparison: there is no mistaking a desert snake from a jungle snake, for example.

These two species of snakes we are talking about here are distantly related... there is no doubt about that. At some point in time, maybe hundreds of thousands of years ago, they may have been one and the same species which split off a single genetic line.

You can barely hear a pygmy rattlesnakes rattle... because it is so small. Sometimes it is almost impossible to hear. So poking it with a stick to see if it rattled might not be a great option. Just FYI.

:)

[pdomensis]

You can barely hear a pygmy rattlesnakes rattle... because it is so small. Sometimes it is almost impossible to hear. So poking it with a stick to see if it rattled might not be a great option. Just FYI.

LOL. I like my western rattlers that let you know when they're pissed!