Snakes Species in Southern Georgia

Southern Georgia, with its warm climate and varied natural habitats, is home to 33 of the state's 42 native snake species. The different species vary from less than 10 inches to more than 8 feet in length. Of the native species in southern Georgia, 27 are constrictors while the other six are venomous and potentially dangerous to humans.

  1. Large Snakes

    • Snakes in southern Georgia generally are not large, with only six species reaching more than 4 feet. The largest is the coachwhip, which grows to around 96 inches in length. The eastern indigo snake grows a little smaller, to around 84 inches. The next largest species is the pine snake, at 66 inches on average, with the brown water snake and black racer about half a foot shorter than that. The green water snake is a little smaller, growing to around 55 inches on average.

    Medium-size Snakes

    • Southern Georgia has eight snake species which range from 2 to 4 feet in length. The eastern king, red-bellied water and banded water snakes all reach 4 feet on average. The rough green and eastern ribbon snakes grow to around 3 feet in length. The rest of the medium-size species are around 2 feet in length and include the southern hognose, glossy crayfish and eastern garter snakes.

    Small Snakes

    • Most of the region's snake species are less than 2 feet in length, with 13 types of snake in this size scale. The central Florida crowned snake is the smallest native species and grows to around 8 inches in length. The smooth earth, rough earth, red-bellied and southeastern crowned snakes grow to around 10 inches. The brown, Florida brown, southern ring-neck and pine woods snakes all grow to around 13 to 15 inches. The area's other small snakes fall just under 2 feet on average and include the scarlet snake, scarlet king snake, striped crayfish snake and black swamp snake.

    Venomous Snakes

    • Southern Georgia is home to three rattlesnake species. The eastern diamondback, which is the largest of all rattlesnakes, grows to an average of 72 inches. The timber rattlesnake grows to between 30 and 60 inches in length and has a stout body. The smallest, the pygmy rattlesnake, reaches 22 inches in length. The area is also home to the cottonmouth and copperhead snakes, both of which reach around 4 feet in length and can be deadly. The other venomous snake in the region is the dangerous coral snake, which has coloration that several nonvenomous species mimic.