Eastern Diamondback (Crotalus atrox)
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Timber (Crotalus horridus horridus)
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Habitat- This species usually inhabits dry, sandy areas, palmetto or wiregrass, flatwoods, pinewoods, coastal dune habitats, or hardwood hammocks. They generally avoid wet areas but sometimes live along the edges of swamps
Body Size: Generally 2.75 to 3.27 feet in length however, the largest one ever found was 8 feet long. Males are larger then females. Color: Brown, tan, or yellowish and covered with diamond shapes on the back, which are brown and surrounded by lighter scales. Known for the diamond shapes found on the back portion of it's body Hibernation Differences- Rocky ledges, talus slides and boulder fields. by itself or in a group. Ability to Swim- Able |
Habitat- Live mainly in the wooded uplands and mountains.
Body Size: Generally 3 to 4 feet in length and rarely as long as 5.5 feet. Males are larger then females. Color: There are two types whose heads are yellow, while the body will have yellow with a black or dark brown cross bands pattern. The others have a black head, and dark strippes that make the body's cross bands look dull or even blotted out. The tail has a black velvet look to it. Hibernation Differences- Rocky ledges, talus slides and boulder fields. They hibernate alone or in a group. Ability to Swim- Able |
Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes)
Habitat- Lives in desert regions.
Body Size: Generally 1.5 to 2.5 feet in length and rarely as long as 5.5 feet. Females are larger then males. Color: Tan, buff, yellowish-brown, pink, or ash gray, overlaid with 28-47 dorsal blotches, the belly is white and the rattle is brown in adults. Hibernation Differences- Since Sidewinders prefer to stay out of sight, they will often set up home in burrows. This is where Sidewinders hibernate during the coolest months of the year. It’s also where they give birth, recuperate from the experience and protect their young. Ability to Swim- Able Eating Habits-They are nocturnal during the hot months and diurnal during the cooler months of it's activity period, which is roughly from November to March. They eat desert rodents (such as kangaroo rats), lizards and birds. When the snake is ready to hunt it lies almost totally buried in the sand, in ambush waiting to attack it's prey. |
Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus)
Habitat- Also known as the Water Moccasin, these snakes live mainly in water-filled ditches, streams, wetlands, rivers, creeks, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, swamps, marshes and adjoining land habitats.
Body Size: Generally 2 to 3 feet in length and rarely as long as 5.9 feet. Males are larger then females. Color: Olive or brown interrupted by dark cross bands with paler brown centers. Young have brighter markings than adults with yellowish tipped tails. Hibernation Differences- Will hibernate with other venomous snakes in a den. This is typically so that the increase of heat can be used by other snakes in order to survive the cold. Eating Habits- They eat fish such as bass, pickerel, catfish, frogs, toads, turtles, snakes and small mammals. Ability to Swim- Able When a cottonmouth swims they swim keeping their body on the surface and do so even when not swimming or slows down. **WARNING** People tend to confuse northern water snakes and brown water snakes with the cottonmouth. |
Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortix)
Habitat- Copperheads mainly live in deciduous forests and mixed woodlands. It is often associated with visible exposures of bedrock, but is also found in low-lying, swampy regions
Body Size: Generally 1.6 to 3 feet in length and rarely as long as 3.3 feet. Males are about 15 percent larger then females. Color: Pale, tan to pinkish tan ground color that becomes darker towards the fore-line, overlaid with a series of 10–18 cross bands. Hibernation Differences-They have dens made up of rocks and often like to den inside logs or in holes carved out by other animals. Ability to Swim- Able **WARNING** Copperheads may release a cucumber-smelling musk if touched. |
Canebrake (Crotalus horridus atricaudatus)
Habitat- Live mainly in canebrakes, ridges and grassy areas near swamps, bushy fields, and hardwood/mixed hardwood-pine forests.
Body Size: Generally 3 to 4 feet in length and rarely as long as 5.5 feet. Males are about 15 percent larger then females. Color: There are two types those whose heads are yellow, while the body will have yellow with black or dark brown crossbands pattern. The others have a black head, and dark stripped dulls or even blot out the bodies crossband pattern. While the tail will have for both types is a black velvet look it. Hibernation Differences- Rotting stumps, by itself or in a group. Ability to Swim- Able |