(Elapidae)   Eastern Coral Snake (Micrurus fulvius)- Length- 22-471\2 inches   Venom Yield- normal-3-5mg                                   lethal- 4-5mg Range- SE North Carolina to South Florida and Key Largo, west to South Texas and Mexico.   This sercretive serpent has a slender body with a head that has a blunted black nose. The color pattern is red and black rings with black spots seperated by yellow thin rings. Always remember this rhyme- red on black, friend of Jack- red on yellow, kill a fellow. Their habitat consist of mesic,heavily vegetated hammocks near ponds or streams, in hardwood forests, sandhill areas, and pine flatwoods with saw palmettos. This highly venomous snake has two mimics in our country- the Scarlet snake and the scarlet kingsnake, which are non-venomous. the Coral snake is usually seen or found under rotten logs or leaves or just moving about at dawn or dusk. During a raining spell, they sometimes come out in broad daylight. They mainly feed on other smaller snakes and lizards, such as skinks.
(Crotalidae)   Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus)- Length- 36-96 inches Venom Yield- normal 492-600mg lethal-100mg Range- Lower coastal plains of North Carolina to Florida Keys, west to south Mississippi, and extreme east Louisiana. Truely a glory to behold- this is the largest venomous snake in North America, and perhaps, the most dangerous as well. It has a heavy body and a large diamond-shaped head. The back has a dark, diamond pattern outlined in a creamy whitesh border. The eyes are covered by a dark wide band outlined with whitesh stripes. This magnificent snake inhabits sandhills, longleaf pine, turkey oak woods, palmetto thickets, old farmlands, and some islands with wiregrass in it's range. They occupy Gopher tortoise dens and stump holes during the warmer and cooler months of the year. Their diet includes rats, rabbits, squirrels, and ground dwelling birds such as Quail. Give this snake wide berth or it will defend itself aggresively if bothered. One bite from a large snake can easily kill a man about four times over. Some are calm and some will strike with the slightest provocation. This snake's population is on a rapid decline due to land developement and rattlesnake round-ups.	Eastern Diamondback rattler This solitary serpent was 4 ft. long Lucky Eastern Diamondback This rattler was crossing a dirt road into someone's yard , lucky for it I came along.
Canebrake and Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)- Length-35-741\2 inches Venom Yield- normal 100-250mg lethal-75-100mg Range- Extreme SW Maine south to North Florida, west  to SE Minnisota and Central Texas. This is another large, and potentialy lethal rattlesnake. The northern forms' color ranges from yellow, brown, and greyish to almost black with dark to black chevron like bands. The tails are black. The southern forms are called the Canebrake. Their colors vary somewhat from their northern cousins. They are yellowish to pinkish-grey with a brick red stripe down the center of their back. With their heads being light tan and a brown stripe running fromthe eyes tothe back of the upper jaw. These beautiful pitvipers inhabit isolated hardwood, hillsides with rocky outcrops, lowland swamos, canebrake thicket, and flood plains in the south. They are active in the spring all the way to the late fall months in the daytime. By summer, they become more nocturnal,prfering to domost of their activity during the cooler hours of the day. Their diet ranges from mice and squirrels, to chipmunks and birds. I have acctually seen one coiled at the foot of a tree with a third of his body up on the tree waiting for a squirrel to come down. Most I have encountered arer placid and calm- but take caution- these are one of the more dangerous rattlesnakes in our range. The Canebrake in the more southern range have a high neurotoxic percentage of 37%. That is second only to the Mojave rattlesnake in the western US.	canebrake rattler this moster I called " Big Daddy " was 5 ft. long Big Daddy the canebrake got enough of me taking his picture
Dusky Pigmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus miliarius)- Length- 15-30 inches Venom Yield- normal-20-30mg/ Local to systematic effects. Range-East North Carolina to Florida Keys, west to East Oklahoma and east Texas. This greyish to redish little snake can be identified by the brown or black blotches found along the middle ofit's back. It has uptothree spots in a row along it's side. Some have a broken-up brick redish stripe that runs a;longit's back. It also has a redish  brown to black bar that reaches from the eye to the rear of the jaw. The young are the same as the Copperhead and Cottonmouths inthat they have yellow tails. These little groundrattlers inhabit everglade prairies, pine palmetto flatwoods, mixed- up pine hardwood forest, cypress swamp, and pond borders. Basically they can be located near any body of fresh water within their range. They can be found sunning themselves across roads in the warmermonths. They feed upon lizards, frogs, mice,young rats, insects, and have even been observed eating small snakes. Because of their small rattles, they bob their heads as a visual warning. They sound more like an insect when rattling than a snake. Although small in size, they pack a  punch with their venom. It is a Hermoragic and very painful- they have a "bite first, ask questions later" temperment, which makes them the chihuahuas of the rattlesnake world.
Cottonmouth or Water Moccasin (Agkistrodon piscivorus)- Length-20-471/2 inches Venom Yield- normal-100-150mg lethal-100-150mg Range- SE Virginia south to upper Florida Keys, west to south Illinois, southern Missiouri, south central Oklahoma, central Texas. Isolated population in north central Missiouri. A thick, dark colored and venomous watersnake. It's head is wide and thick set. The coloration of the cottonmouth ranges from olive, brown, or black fromabove. They have a series of jagged dark crossbands- they kind of look like parenthesis ( ) with a dark spot inside them.  One of the best ways to identify the cottonmouth is that the side of it's head is pale with a dark stripe that runs fromthe nose tothe back of the upper jaw. The young of these snakes have a bright yellow tail which it uses to lure it's prey. This pitviper inhabits lowland swamps, rivers, lakes, ponds, sloughs, ditches, slow moving creeks, and drying water holes. Their diets consists of fish, frogs, birds, aquatic salamanders, and other snakes at times. They will also eat dead or dying fish from water holes that are drying up. They seem to be a placid snake with a mild disposition. There has been research to prove that they are the least likely to bite of all the venomous snakes in the US. I am not saying it is ok to bother or pick one up. They will stand their ground with their body in a coil and mouth wide open if provoked. Their mouth has a white interior- thus the name "cottonmouth". The bite of this snake is serious, though fatalities are rare. Their venom has strong hemotoxic properties and is accompanied by massive necrosis which is sometimes followed by gangreen.	Banded Water Snake headshot Compare markings of this mimic to the Cottonmouth Cottonmouth head shot Compare to the head of the non-venomous Banded Water Snake cottonmouth typical cottonmouth defensive behavior
Southern copperhead This snake was captive when I took the shot. Later I will find a wild one for a better photo. Southern Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix)- Length 22-53 inches Venom Yield- normal-40-70mg                           lethal-100mg Range- SW Massachusetts, west to extreme SE Nebraska, south to Florida Panhandle, and south central and west Texas.   A heavily bodied pit viper, redish to brownish orange in color. It is distinct by the narrow neck leading to an arrow shaped head. One of the best ways to identify this snake is that the markings resemble hour glasses. Newborns (or neonates), have yellow tails to lure their prey with. The Copperhead's habitat consists of wooded hillsides with rocky out croppings, above creeks or small bodies of water, swamp edges in the coastal plains area. Copperheads like to bask during the day in the spring and fall, and become more nocturnal during the warmer months. In the summer, they will retreat and hide out in piles of debris nearfarms, rotten logs, and rocks near streams or creeks. Their diets consist of smallrodents,other reptiles, and even insects. They are one of the least dangerous ofour venomous snakes, but don't let that fool you. Bites are very painful and are usually  accompanied by amputation of digits. The very young and elderly are also at higher risk of death if bitten.