Common Snakes of Georgia

Georgia has the largest number of snakes in the whole country. Standing at 15.67 snakes per square mile, you will always encounter a snake on a good day. There are both venomous and non-venomous types with the venomous having the smallest slice of this figure.





Venomous snakes
They are classified in this category due to the potent venom they carry around. It is also because the venom is extremely lethal to man. The other non-venomous snakes have venom but it doesn’t affect human greatly. Like the coral snake, it is the most venomous with just a little of its venom, which is neurotoxic in nature, one can suffer serious tissue damages and other complications. Pit vipers fall under this category and Georgia has:

• Timber Rattlesnake
• Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
• Copperhead
• Cottonmouth (Water Moccasin)
• Pigmy Rattlesnake
• Timber Rattlesnake

Non-venomous snake
These snakes have a spoon like rounded head unlike the venomous which have a triangular shaped head. This is because they don’t have the noticeable venom glands. They also tend to have one solid colour but this is not foolproof way to tell them apart. Non-venomous snakes have no rattles and heat sensors (small pits) intersecting the nostrils and eyes. The eyes can also be used to differentiate; the rounded pupils are less venomous unlike those with elliptical pupils. These snakes also have a rounded snout with a double row of scales at the end of their tails.

Examples of non-venomous snakes
The large population of snakes in this region are non-venomous. Some of the most common species include: king snakes, milk snakes, rat snakes, corn snakes, water snakes and other small to medium terrestrial snakes. Some of these snakes are threatened species making them species of concern. The law therefore protects them. One needs a permit to possess these creatures and it is illegal to kill, harass or capture them.

Copperheads
These are the most common venomous snakes in the entire state that you have to look out for. Even though their defensive bite is not that fatal to an adult human, it is still painful. It is the species that bites more compared to other snakes. They are mostly active during the evenings, when you spot them; just leave them alone since they are very aggressive when provoked

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
This is the most dangerous snake in Georgia. It has no natural enemies which makes it stay at the peak of the food chain. It is usually ready to strike, highly irritable and extremely venomous.