Welcome to portsaintluciesnakes.com! I am David, a snake enthusiast living in Port Saint Lucie, FL. Many people don't know that Port Saint Lucie is in fact full of snakes! You just need to know where to find them - they can often be shy and elusive. Some Florida snake species are more common outside of the city limits, in different parts of St Lucie County FL, but many types of snakes are indeed common in the more urban parts of Port Saint Lucie. This guide is meant to help educate you about the beautiful snakes of Port Saint Lucie, and to help you identify the most common snakes of Port Saint Lucie, as well as the venomous snakes of Port Saint Lucie that you should learn to recognize and avoid. If you want more detail, click here for my complete list of ALL snake species in Port Saint Lucie. Remember the following:

Common Snake Species in Port Saint Lucie

Southern Black Racer: The southern black racer (Coluber Constrictor Priapus) is a snake that is found over a wide swath of the southeastern United States. They have a variety of habitats where they make themselves at home, everywhere from pine flatwoods, sandhills, scrubs, cypress woods, melaleuca forests, and limestone outcroppings. They are frequently found in suburban neighborhoods because such developments often replace their natural habitats. They are not venomous. The southern black racer has smooth scales and a black or bluish body with white or brown and white markings at the throat and chin. Juveniles are grey with distinct reddish-brown splotches, they become darker with age. Adults average about 20 to 56 inches. They are diurnal and hunt a variety of prey from small mammals to frogs, lizards, insects, and spiders.

Eastern Rat Snake: The eastern rat snake (Pantherophis alleghaniesnsis) is endemic to the eastern-southeastern United States. They are typically found in meadows and open wooded areas but are attracted to areas with cover and any place with rodents to hunt. They are not venomous but do emit a foul musk when threatened that smells like and has the taste of poison. Eastern rat snakes can be fairly large. The adults average between 3 and a half feet and 7 feet long. The black scales on their back are shiny and they have light-colored bellies, with white scales at the throat and chin. The head is wider than the rest of the body. They brumate in cold months. Brumation is similar to hibernation but the snake occasionally awakens for activities like drinking water.

Florida Kingsnake: The Florida kingsnake (Lampropeltis Getula Floridana) is a variety of kingsnake that is found primarily in southern Florida. Their natural habitat is pinelands, cypress strands, prairies, marshes, estuaries, and streams and lakes. They turn up in suburban areas where development has encroached on their natural habitat. They are not venomous. Florida kingsnakes are large, adults average about 4 to 5 feet in length. They are brown to dull yellow in color with 40 or more cream-colored crossbands. The scales between crossbands are black in younger snakes and dull with age. When hunting, they use quick, jerky movements that startle prey.

Venomous Snake Species in Port Saint Lucie

Cottonmouth Snake: The cottonmouth snake (Agkistrodon piscivorus) can be found throughout the southeast from Virginia to Georgia and Florida, and into Texas. They are also known as water moccasins and they like swamps, floodplains, and wetlands. They can be away from water as well. They particularly like drying pools where they can feed on fish and amphibians. They are venomous. Cottonmouth snakes have triangular-shaped heads with large jowls that hold their venom. They come in a variety of colors and are usually marked with dark crossbands on a brown or yellow ground color, some are completely brown or black. Their bellies usually have brownish-yellow blotches. They are typically 24 to 48 inches. They are migratory and vulnerable to loss of habitat.

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake: The eastern diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus Adamanteus) is found across a wide range of the southeastern United States, where they are endemic. Their natural habitat is an upland dry pine forests, pine and palmetto flatwoods, sandhills, coastal maritime hammocks, longleaf pine/turkey oak areas, grass marshes, swamp forests, cypress forests, sandy woodlands, salt marshes, and wet prairies during dry periods. They are considered one of the deadliest snakes in North America due to the potency of their venom and the large amount of venom they store. The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is the largest of the rattlesnake species. Adults can be 7 to 8 feet in length and weigh more than 30 pounds. Their color is usually brown, brownish-yellow, brownish-grey, or olive, with a black diamond pattern that has slightly lighter centers. They are excellent swimmers and prey on a wide variety of birds, small mammals, reptiles, rodents, lizards, and other snakes.

If you're unsure, you can email me a photo of the snake at info@portsaintluciesnakes.com and I will email you back with the snake's species. If you found a snake skin, read my Found a Skin? page, and you can email me a photo of the skin, and I'll identify the snake for you. If you need professional Port Saint Lucie snake removal help, click my Get Help page, or see the below website sponsor I found, who provides that service.



Remember, the term is not poisonous snakes of Port Saint Lucie, it's venomous snakes of Port Saint Lucie. Poison is generally something you eat, and venom is injected into you. That said, dangerous snakes are very rare in Port Saint Lucie. The few venomous snakes of St Lucie County are rarely seen. But they are commonly misidentified, so learn about all the snake species of Port Saint Lucie in order to correctly identify them. These snakes are usually also found in the surrounding towns of Fort Pierce, Lakewood Park, White City, Indian River Estates, River Park, Fort Pierce North, Fort Pierce South, and the surrounding areas.

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Proper Way to Pick up Snakes

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