Snake Identification
Approximately 40 species of snakes occur in Alabama, and only six of these are venomous. Yet these six attract a lot of attention. Get a crowd of people together and yell snake and you’re bound to get a reaction. Since early times, people have had a mysterious fascination with snakes. They have been used in religious ceremonies and for medicinal purposes. To some people, snakes conjure up an image of evil. Yet, in reality, snakes as a group are very beneficial to humans, especially because snakes help control farm pests that can transmit diseases.
Since snakes are helpful to humans, as well as being a part of our natural environment, it is important that we learn to distinguish venomous and nonvenomous varieties. There are several general rules that are useful in field identification.
Five of the six venomous snakes in Alabama are in the pit viper group. Pit vipers get their name from the presence of pits on both sides of the face between the eye and nostril. These pits are used to detect heat and improve the snakes’ accuracy in striking warm-blooded prey. Pit vipers have vertical or “cat-like” pupils, thin necks, and heavy bodies. While all pit vipers have wide, triangular heads, some nonvenomous snakes share this characteristic. Pit vipers are also characterized by having retractable, hollow fangs near the front of the mouth. All pit vipers give birth to their young. This group includes the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, timber rattlesnake, pigmy rattlesnake, copperhead, and cottonmouth.
The sixth venomous snake in Alabama is the coral snake. This fairly small, secretive relative of the cobra has black and red rings separated by yellow rings, and a black snout. Unlike the pit viper, the coral snake has a small head, round pupils, and a slender body.
The nonvenomous snakes in Alabama also have round pupils and small heads. Another distinguishing characteristic of all nonvenomous snakes is the double row of scales on the underside of the tail. All of the pit vipers have a single row of scales. However, like nonvenomous snakes, the coral snake has a double row. (Markings—see coral snake description—are the key to telling the difference between coral snakes and nonvenomous snakes.) Examining the underside of the tail is not recommended as an identification technique on live specimens. If you find a shed snake skin, you can look at the underside of the tail and determine if the skin was shed by a pit viper or by a nonvenomous snake or coral snake. The nonvenomous snakes of Alabama are too numerous to mention separately. However, because of their potential danger to people, each of the six venomous species warrants a more detailed discussion.
Eastern diamondback rattlesnake.
An extremely large, heavy-bodied snake, capable of attaining a length of about 8 feet. The diamondback likes the relatively dry pine flatwoods and longleaf pine-turkey oak hills of southern Alabama. The burrow of the gopher tortoise often serves as a refuge, particularly during cold weather. Diamondbacks feed on mice, rats, and rabbits, and less frequently on squirrels and birds.
Timber rattlesnake.
Sometimes referred to as canebrake rattlesnake. A large, heavy-bodied snake that may attain a length of over 7 feet. The species may be found in most of Alabama. It is most common in sparsely settled, forested areas. The timber rattlesnake feeds on a variety of small rodents and, infrequently, on ground-dwelling birds.
Pygmy rattlesnake.
A small snake, with a maximum length of 30 inches. Distributed throughout the state, it is seldom encountered except during late summer. The small rattle can scarcely be heard more than 3 feet away. It feeds on mice, lizards, frogs, insects, and spiders.
Copperhead.
A medium-sized snake, with maximum length of slightly over 4 feet. It is distributed throughout the state, but is scarce in parts of extreme southern Alabama. Color patterns are highly variable, but the basic color is tan to brown with darker crossbands. Above the coastal plain, the copperhead prefers forested areas with rocky bluffs and ravines. In the coastal plain, it prefers floodplains, swamp edges, and hilly hardwood areas. Abandoned farms also provide ideal habitat conditions. The diet consists of small mammals, frogs, lizards, and insects.
Cottonmouth.
A large, heavy-bodied, aquatic snake. In Alabama, the cottonmouth may attain a maximum length of about 5 feet. Adults are variable in color, ranging from a solid dark gray to tan with brown bands. Young cottonmouths are tan with conspicuous bands. The cottonmouth lives in waters statewide. Its diet includes insects, snails, fish, frogs, baby alligators, lizards, turtles, snakes, bird eggs, small mammals, and carrion. There are seven species of harmless water snakes often mistaken for cottonmouths.
Coral snake.
A slender snake with a maximum size of about 3. feet. The top of the head and nose are black. The typical body markings are complete bands of alternating red and black, separated by narrow yellow rings. The snake is found mostly in the lower coastal plain. Coral snakes spend much time underground in loose soils. They will bite readily when restrained, and they have a habit of “balling the tail” and waving it about. This habit may cause the handler to mistake the tail for the head. The coral snake’s venom is conducted through a pair of short, erect, grooved fangs near the front of the upper jaw. The best practice is to leave coral snakes alone and under no circumstances handle them—the bite can be deadly.
