Originally Posted by La lamy (Post 2183885)

My first time facing this type of snake here in The Villages. Do you know what it is? Is it venomous? I'm not sure how safe my cat and I are around that. Have you encountered snakes?

Originally Posted by WisBoy (Post 2184301)

Coral Snakes are also present. Had a couple of sightings a couple of years ago in our hood. They are VERY dangerous and have a mean venom. Have never heard of anyone or anything actually being bitten by one however. Like most snakes, they don't seek out trouble. They are very colorful so are easy to see.

Originally Posted by JohnN (Post 2183959)

As noted, they like to eat rodents. Probably depends on how big your cat is, but I'd be careful. Those snakes are fast, fast, fast.

Originally Posted by Michael G. (Post 2183926)

Balck racer great snake for controlling rodents.
I fact the University of Miami raises them and releases them into the wild.

Originally Posted by jimjamuser (Post 2184626)

Good information about the U. of Miami. TV Land should check out their program and emulate it !!!!!!

Originally Posted by photo1902 (Post 2184013)

Originally Posted by GaryKoca (Post 2184021)

water moccasins if you are near water like a pond. Perhaps a rattlesnake if you are out walking in the woods. Mostly black racers in the Villages, however. They generally try to slink away if they see someone. As indicated, they a good snakes and non-venomous.

Originally Posted by jimjamuser (Post 2184607)

There IS also an INTERESTING non-poisonous snake in Fl that keeps predators (like hawks and eagles) away by LOOKING like a CORAL snake. It has orange, black, and yellow stripes like a coral snake, but in a slightly different order than the coral. Also interesting, there IS a word used in biology for defending from something by "faking" a color or shape of something to be avoided. Some plants do it too. I have forgotten the EXACT WORD. Also interesting is that old-time Floridians have a "singsong" rhyme to distinguish between the coral snake and it's cousin - the look-alike non-poisonous snake. It goes something like..........wait for it........red and yellow together - KILL a feller. Something like that.

Originally Posted by jimjamuser (Post 2184620)

The snakes here are NOT big enough to eat even a small adult cat, maybe a very little kitty. In Naples and The Everglades National Park there are Boa Constrictors that can OCCASIONALLY get 20ft long and weigh about 150 lbs.......they could get and eat a cat or even a German Shepard. Even a small child.
.....Here locally just about any lake, large or small could contain water mocassins. Locally, I have seen rattlesnake skins on the top of plants inside the area of a Village swimming pool. Rattlesnakes are common and coral snakes are less common. Both can be on golf courses, plants around pools, near any tree, and they come into homes sometimes (not common) The black snake will KILL and eat the poisonous snakes IF it is BIG enough.
.......Actually, the Villages ought to have a program to HATCH black snakes and inform ALL RESIDENTS not to kill them because "they are the GOOD guys of the snake world".
..........And also, it IS really alligators that you should be worried about (snakes, NOT so much). I would add that IF you observe any fool, STUPID ENOUGH TO FEED an alligator. You should kick them in the "southern region"!

Originally Posted by jimjamuser (Post 2184637)

Problems happen in encounters with snakes when a person (or animal) mistakenly steps on one. They have camouflage so it is EASY to NOT see them in grass or MULCH, which is placed liberally around plants in the Villages. The snake feels that something is ATTACKING them so they FIGHT or FLEE like any animal. If they choose to FIGHT, then they bite and the venomous ones also inject poison with their fangs. They are like VERY bigger versions of wasps, hornets, or bees.

Originally Posted by spinner1001 (Post 2184049)

Central Florida has all four kinds of venomous snakes in the USA: rattlesnake, water moccasin (aka cottonmouth), copperhead, and coral snake. The most likely habitat for these snakes around TV is natural settings such as the woods, ponds, and marshy areas. If you are around these kinds of areas, there is a chance of coming across one. Hikers and golfers looking for their ball around a pond are the mostly likely people around TV to come across any of them. Assuming one’s house is not close to a pond or marshy area, I believe there is only a very remote chance that you will come across a venomous snake around a house in TV with a rattlesnake being the most likely among those four kinds.

You can recognize the four kinds of venomous snakes relatively easily. The rattlesnake, water moccasin, and copperhead have triangular heads. The coral snake can be recognized by its colors and color pattern. The tricky part with coral snakes is their coloring is similar to the non-venomous king snake. The way I remember the difference between these two snakes is that coral snakes have their red and yellow bands touching each other whereas the king snake does not. I remember the red and yellow combination as a traffic light.

Black racer snakes are relatively common around TV. The venomous snake closest in coloring to black racers is the water moccasin. Both are mostly black. You can distinguish these two snakes by their head and body dimensions. As noted, the water moccasin has a triangular head and proportionately wider body whereas the black racer has a smaller head and thinner body. Black racers will likely slither away fast from a human. Water moccasins will often stand their ground and have a bad disposition. When hiking around TV, I am more worried about a bad outcome from a water moccasin than an alligator.

Originally Posted by collie1228 (Post 2184130)

Black racers are so fast that I doubt your cat could catch one, unless it's a really good stalker. The only problem I could see is if the snake was cornered, like in the corner of a courtyard villa wall, then the snake will probably stand its head up a foot high and bite hard. I had one try to chase me out of my own yard once. But even if it bit the cat, it's harmless.

Originally Posted by TomSpasm (Post 2184166)

Indigo snakes are very large, and I've never seen one in 39 years full time in Florida. You would immediately know someone was talking about an Indigo because all they would talk about is how big it was.