Snakes of Georgia

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Snakes of Georgia

• Identifying Characteristics, Geographic
  Distribution, and Natural History

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Family Colubridae

• Garbage can group

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Carphophis amoenusWorm Snake

• Belly distinctly lighter than dorsum (pink, gray)
• Two prefrontals and two internasals
• Scales smooth and opalecent
• anal divided
• Tail spine
• Very secretive snake
• Found under logs, rocks, debris in moist
  woodlands
• Oviparous
• Piedmont and Mountains

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Carphophis amoenus
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Cemophora coccineaNorthern Scarlet Snake

• Pointed Red Snout
• White belly
• Smooth scales
• Anal single
• Eats snake and lizard eggs
• Prefers sandy or loamy soils for burrowing
• Coastal Plain and Piedmont

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Cemophora coccinea
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Coluber constrictorBlack Racer

• Solid black with a white chin
• Scales smooth
• Anal divided
• Diurnal
• Active forager
• Oviparous
• Entire state

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Coluber constrictor
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Diadophis punctatusRingneck Snake

• Black/Gray snake with a yellow belly and ring on
  neck
• Central row of Half-moons on belly
• Smooth scales
• Anal divided
• Oviparous
• Entire state

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Diadophis punctatus
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Drymarchon coraisIndigo Snake

• Very large bluish-black snake
• Reddish chin and snout
• smooth scales
• anal single
• aggressive eater
• Often associated with Gopherus polyphemus
• Spends hot periods in wetlands
• Lower Coastal Plain

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Drymarchon corais
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Elaphe guttataCorn Snake

• Loaf of Bread body shape
• Belly checkered with black and white
• Underside of tail is striped
• spearpoint between eyes
• ocular stripe extends onto neck
• Anal divided
• Often found under bark, underground, etc.
• Oviparous
• Entire state

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Elaphe guttata
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Elaphe obsoletaRat Snake

• Extremely variable
• Black in North GA
• Yellowish Green in SE GA
• Gray in SW GA
• Weakly keeled scales
• anal divided
• Oviparous
• Accomplished climber
• Entire state

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Elaphe obsoleta
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Farancia abacuraMud Snake

• Black iridescent snake with red belly
• Red triangles coming up on sides
• Can be anerythristic
• Tail spine
• Swamps and mud
• Eat Amphiuma
• Oviparous
• Coastal Plain andsouthern Piedmont

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Farancia abacura
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Farancia erytrogrammaRainbow Snake

• Iridescent black snake with three red stripes
• belly has two rows of black spots
• tail spine
• Oviparous
• Eats Anguilla rostrata
• Clear, clean streams and rivers
• Coastal Plain rivers

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Farancia erytrogramma
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Heterodon platyrhinosEastern Hognose Snake

• Highly variable (melanistic, blotched)
• Upturned snout
• Underside of tail lighter than belly
• Feigns death
• Eats Toads
• Oviparous
• Entire state

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Heterodon platyrhinos
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Heterodon simusSouthern Hognose Snake

• Small, fat blotched snake
• Strongly upturned snout
• underside of tail resembles belly
• Scales keeled, anal divided
• Eats toads
• Oviparous
• Coastal Plain

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Heterodon simus
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Lampropeltis calligasterMole Kingsnake

• Shiny, smooth snake with highly variable pattern
• Anal single
• No striping on underside of tail
• Accomplished burrowerhidden abundance
• Oviparous
• Piedmont

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Lampropeltis calligaster
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Lampropeltis getulaEastern Kingsnake

• Shiny black snake with variable white chain-like
  pattern
• smooth scales and anal plate single
• Prefers the edges of aquatic habitats
• Eats snakes, eggs, birds, and rodents
• Oviparous
• Entire state

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Lampropeltis getula
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Lampropeltis triangulumScarlet Kingsnake and
Milksnake

• Two subspecies in GA
• elapsoidesred, black, and yellow bands
  completely encircle the body
• Red snout
• triangulum reddish brown blotches bordered by
  black
• Y or V shaped blotch on neck
• distinctly different life histories
• Entire state

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Lampropeltis triangulum
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Masticophis flagellumEastern Coachwhip

• Large snake with black head fading into a brown
  (cream) tail
• belly corresponds with back
• diurnal, very active forager
• prefers dry, sandy open areas
• Oviparous
• Entire state

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Masticophis flagellum
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Nerodia erythrogasterRedbelly Watersnake

• Plain brown dorsumsome pattern visible
  especially in young snakes
• Belly red or orange
• river swamps and surrounding habitats
• Viviparous
• Entire state except high mountains

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Nerodia erythrogaster
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Nerodia fasciataBanded Watersnake

• Dark crossbands bordered by black continue all
  the way down the back
• squarish spots on belly
• Dark stripe from eye to angle of jaw
• Identify by geographic range
• Vivparous
• Coastal Plain

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Nerodia fasciata
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Nerodia floridanaFlorida Green Watersnake

• Greenish brown dorsum
• belly cream
• row of scales between eye and labials
• anal divided
• viviparous
• disjunct populations
• Lower Coastal Plain

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Nerodia floridana
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Nerodia sipedonMidland/Northern Watersnake

• Bands on dorsum become alternating lateral and
  dorsal blotches towards tail
• tail markings usually complete rings
• Half-moon shaped belly markings
• viviparous
• Identify by geographic range
• Piedmont and Mountains

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Nerodia sipedon
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Nerodia taxispilotaBrown watersnake

• large dark brown square blotches on a light brown
  background
• large head
• eats catfish
• rivers and creeks
• Viviparous
• Piedmont and Coastal Plain

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Nerodia taxispilota
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Opheodrys aestivusRough Green Snake

• slender green snake with white belly
• keeled scales and anal divided
• prefer low lying leafy shrubs and vines near
  water
• spider eater
• Oviparous
• Entire state

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Opheodrys aestivus
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Pituophis melanoleucusNorthern/Florida Pine Snake

• Black/Brown blotched snakevery heavily bodied
• scales keeled and anal single
• Excellent hisser
• burrower in sandy habitats
• oviparous
• loss of habitat
• Coastal Plain and Mountains

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Pituophis melanoleucus
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Regina alleniStriped Crayfish Snake

• small shiny watersnake with four broad yellow
  stripes
• belly yellow
• small head
• one internasal
• the two nasals touch
• anal divided
• viviparous
• eats hard shelled crayfish
• Suwannee River Drainage

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Regina alleni
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Regina rigidaGlossy Crayfish Snake

• Shiny gray-brown snakemay show signs of light
  stripes
• two rows of dark spots on belly
• anal divided
• eats crayfish
• Viviparous
• Coastal Plain

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Regina rigida
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Regina septemvittataQueen Snake

• slender brown snake with two broad yellow stripes
  down the sides of body (1st and 2nd scale rows)
• belly yellow with four brown stripe
• keeled scales and divided anal
• small stone covered creeks
• often seen basking
• Eats only soft bodied crayfish
• Viviparous
• Piedmont and Mountains

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Regina septemvittata
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Rhadinaea flavilataPine Woods Snake

• Reddish brown snake with a yellow lip
• Dark line through eye
• smooth scales and anal divided
• pine flatwoods
• eats frogs especially hylids
• venomous (rear fanged)
• Oviparous
• Southeast Georgia

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Rhadinaea flavilata
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Seminatrix pygaeaBlack Swamp Snake

• shiny black snake with red belly
• anal divided
• eats leeches, fish, worms, etc.
• viviparous
• found in aquatic vegetation
• Atlantic Coastal Plain

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Seminatrix pygaea
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Storeria dekayiNorthern Brown/Dekays Snake

• little brown snake with two parallel rows of
  black spots
• dark downward streak on head
• scales keeled and anal divided
• city snake
• Viviparous
• Entire state

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Storeria dekayi
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Storeria occipitomaculataRedbelly Snake

• plain red belly
• three light blotches on nape (sometimes look like
  a ring)
• white mark on fifth labial
• Extremely secretive
• specialist feeder on gastropods
• Viviparous
• Entire state

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Storeria occiptomaculata
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Tantilla coronataSoutheastern Crowned Snake

• black cap, light collar, then black band (3-5
  scales wide)
• light brown boady
• scales smooth and anal divided
• oviparous
• eats centipedes
• snake occurs where you find itbroad habitat
  preferences
• Entire state

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Tantilla coronata
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Tantilla relictaSouth Georgia Crowned Snake

• black cap, light collar, and black blotchlight
  collar divided by black midline
• labials black
• scales smooth and anal divided
• oviparous
• eats centipedes
• high dry sandhill species
• only one specimen from GA (Lanier County)

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Tantilla relicta
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Thamnophis sauritusRibbon Snake

• Three longitudinal stripes (lateral stripes on
  scale rows 3 and 4)
• skinny snake with very long tail (it will break)
• scales keeled and anal single
• often found in shrubs over water
• Viviparous
• Entire state

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Thamnophis sauritus
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Thamnophis sirtalisGarter Snake

• Three longitudinal stripes (lateral stripes
  confined to scale rows 2 and 3)
• Extremely variablecheckered, striped, spotted,
  etc.
• scales keeled and anal single
• any habitat
• Viviparous
• Entire state

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Thamnophis sirtalis
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Virginia striatulaRough Earth Snake

• brown/gray/reddish snake with cone head
• 5 upper labials
• internasals fused into a single scale
• scales keeled, anal divided
• eats worms
• secretive
• Viviparous
• Piedmont and Coastal Plain

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Virginia striatula
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Virginia valeriaeSmooth Earth Snake

• gray/brown/reddish chubby short snake
• light stripe down back
• 6 upper labials
• smooth scales may look keeled (look close)
• anal divided
• prefers deciduous woods with earthworms
• Viviparous
• Entire state

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Virginia valeriae
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Family Viperidae

• Rattlesnakes, Copperheads, and Cottonmouths

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Agkistrodon contortrixCopperhead

• copper head
• dark chestnut crossbands
• scales weakly keeled and anal single
• VENOMOUS
• viviparous
• inconspicuous snake in a wide variety of habitats
• Mountains, Piedmont, and Upper Coastal Plain

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Agkistrodon contortrix
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Agkistrodon piscivorusCottonmouth

• dark crossbands disappearing with age
• large thick head with broad dark line through eye
• VENOMOUS
• Viviparous
• Coastal Plainsinvades Piedmont in areas (SOUTH
  OF I-20)

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Agkistrodon piscivorus
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Crotalus adamanteusEastern Diamondback
Rattlesnake

• diamonds on back
• very heavily bodied
• very large head
• VENOMOUS
• viviparous
• what else needs to be said
• Coastal Plains

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Crotalus adamanteus
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Crotalus horridusTimber/Canebrake Rattlesnake

• highly variable
• two formscanebrake and timber
• VENOMOUS
• extremely well camouflaged
• conservation concerns
• Entire state

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Crotalus horridus
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Sistrurus miliariusPigmy Rattlesnake

• color variable, dark blotched small fat
  rattlesnake
• rattles tiny! Be careful
• nine large plates on head
• VENOMOUS
• viviparous
• Coastal Plains and Piedmont

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Sistrurus miliarius
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Family Elapidae

• Coral snake

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Micrurus fulviusEastern Coral Snake

• Red on yellow kill a fellow, red on black friend
  of Jack
• black snout, yellow neck, black band
• ophiophageous
• VENOMOUS
• Oviparous
• Coastal Plains

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Micrurus fulvius
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