![]() Georgia hosts two very common Coluber snakes that go by the name racers and whipsankes. Like other rat snakes, they too are known for climbing trees. Often they are just passing through the neighborhood looking for food.Ĭorn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus) are the smaller relatives of ratsnakes and they are also common in Georgia, especially in the longleaf pine forests. They are nonlethal snakes that normally want to avoid human contact. Their primary diet is rodents.Īdults can grow over six feet in length and their sheer size scares people. All three subspecies are adapted to human living environments, and can often be found in residential areas climbing trees. They inhabit areas along coastal Georgia. Gray ratsnakes live in the south and areas along the Savannah river.īeach goers might cross paths with the Yellow ratsnake. Black ratsnakes live in the mountains and piedmont areas. Georgia snakes also includes three subspecies of the basic eastern Rat Snake (Elaphe obsoleta). The dark blotches on a brown body are the best field identification clues. The Green Water Snake, for example, is only found along the Georgia southern border. Geographic placement of the snake can help. The bold color on Red-bellied Water Snakes might be one exception to the rule. ![]() Older specimens of water snakes can be difficult to identify because their bodies tend to turn darker with age, eliminating the usual physical identification clues. Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota). ![]() Red-bellied Water Snake (Nerodia erythrogaster).The common name water snake applies to five species in the genus Nerodia that live in the lakes and ponds of the state: Many Georgia snakes inhabit ponds, rivers, lakes and swamps around the state. Note how the angle of the picture highlights the wide side bands. The only water snake species with any semblance of a dark stripe on the side of the head is the banded water snake, and the stripe is a poorly-defined one, at best. Also, most water moccasins have a very well-defined dark stripe on the side of the head that runs from the back Juvenile and patterned adult water moccasins have ‘hollow’ bands that are widest on the sides and appear to be hourglass-shaped when viewed from above. The two most common water snakes in Georgia, banded and northern, have bands that are widest on top. According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources: Coralsnakes are very rare in the state.Ĭottonmouths or Water Moccasins are common in the state and that leads to many people misidentifying them with the resident water snake species. Southern areas of Georgia provide the natural habitat needed for all but the copperhead because hardwood forests are their preferred habitat. ![]() Given the fact that at least one of these six species inhabits all areas of the state, included the heavily traveled coastal areas, tourist inquiries are understandable.
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