Snakes in Sebastian, Florida

Sebastian is home to dozens of native snake species, most of them harmless, plus four venomous species whose Florida ranges include Indian River County.

Most snakes in Sebastian yards, along the St. Sebastian River and in the scrub lots of the Sebastian Highlands are harmless. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission counts 50 native snake species in Florida and says only six of them are venomous. Indian River County sits in the middle of the peninsula's range for most of those species, so the snake list for Sebastian is long, but the venomous list is short.

Two of the venomous six can be set aside for Sebastian. The University of Florida IFAS Extension guide to venomous snakes states that copperheads and timber rattlesnakes have a limited range in Florida: copperheads live only in a small area of the Panhandle near the Apalachicola River and the westernmost counties, and timber rattlesnakes are usually only found in northern Florida as far south as Gainesville. The remaining four, the cottonmouth, the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the pygmy rattlesnake and the eastern coral snake, have ranges that cover the whole state, including Sebastian, Roseland, Fellsmere and the barrier island east of the Indian River Lagoon.

The town has a long paper trail for at least one of them. A specimen in the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology herpetology collection, catalog number R-174151, is an eastern coral snake recorded as collected at Sebastian in March 1918, when the settlement on the Indian River was still a small fishing and citrus community.

The four venomous snakes near Sebastian are the cottonmouth, eastern diamondback rattlesnake, dusky pygmy rattlesnake and eastern coral snake, each identified by size, habitat and pattern.

The cottonmouth is the water snake of the venomous group. UF/IFAS describes it as the most aquatic of Florida's venomous snakes, found statewide along the margins of lakes, rivers and wetlands, with most adults about three feet long. Around Sebastian that means the freshwater edges of the St. Sebastian River, the canals and retention ponds and the marshes toward Fellsmere. The same guide warns that several harmless water snakes are often mistaken for cottonmouths and that all water snakes are best left alone.

The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is the largest venomous snake in the United States and can exceed six feet. UF/IFAS lists its habitat as dry ground such as pinelands, scrub and golf courses, a description that fits the sand ridges and scrub parcels around Sebastian Highlands and the pine flatwoods of the St. Sebastian River Preserve. It carries a row of dark diamonds with cream borders and a loud rattle, although the guide notes that some individuals do not rattle.

The dusky pygmy rattlesnake is the one most likely to turn up in a Sebastian neighborhood. According to UF/IFAS, adults rarely exceed 20 inches, the rattle is too small to hear, and it is one of the most commonly encountered venomous snakes found occasionally in residential neighborhoods, in habitats from pine flatwoods to palm hammocks.

The eastern coral snake, the species documented at Sebastian in 1918, is secretive and spends much of its life underground. UF/IFAS gives a size rarely over 30 inches and explains the pattern test: on the harmless scarlet kingsnake and scarlet snake the red bands touch only black bands, but on the coral snake the red bands only touch yellow bands, and the coral snake has a blunt black snout. The guide adds that a triangular head does not indicate a venomous snake, since some harmless Indian River County species flatten their heads when threatened.

Black racers, coachwhips and water snakes are among the harmless snakes most often seen around Sebastian and Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Racers and coachwhips are the fast, slender snakes seen crossing driveways and trails. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service species page for Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, on the Indian River Lagoon just north of Sebastian, notes that on warm days visitors should watch for reptiles taking in the heat, naming the black racer and coachwhip, and that the refuge is also home to many gopher tortoises.

The FWC explains why harmless snakes matter in town. Snakes help reduce rodent populations, and non-venomous snakes also consume venomous ones. The agency adds that most larger snakes travel over large areas, so one seen in a Sebastian yard today may be far away tomorrow, and that frequent sightings near homes or sheds may indicate rodents. Removal of brush, lumber or other debris discourages both rodents and snakes, as does cleaning up spilled bird seed and pet food.

Water snakes in the canals of the Sebastian Highlands and along Indian River Drive are the most frequent case of mistaken identity. UF/IFAS notes that water snakes are not venomous but tend to be aggressive and quick to bite, which is part of why they are confused with the cottonmouth.

Eastern indigo snakes live in the pine flatwoods and scrub of the St. Sebastian River Preserve and the coastal dunes near Sebastian Inlet.

The largest snake in the Sebastian area is protected. The FWC species profile lists the Eastern indigo snake as federally threatened, a non-venomous, bluish-black snake that can reach lengths of eight feet, with a red or brown chin and throat. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service calls it the longest snake species native to the United States, reaching up to 8.6 feet. FWC lists its habitats as pine flatwoods, hardwood forests, moist hammocks and the edges of cypress swamps, all present in the St. Sebastian River basin.

Florida State Parks lists Eastern indigo snakes among the wildlife of the St. Sebastian River Preserve, alongside deer, bobcat, wild turkey and gopher tortoises. The connection to tortoises is direct. FWC notes that indigo snakes breed between November and April and that females usually deposit their eggs in gopher tortoise burrows. On the coast, the Sebastian Inlet District reported on January 2, 2019 that tortoise burrows serve more than 365 other species such as indigo snakes, in a notice about eight gopher tortoises moved from the district's sand storage area at Sebastian Inlet to a sanctuary in Osceola County ahead of dredging.

Loss of habitat is the main threat FWC identifies, mainly from urban development, along with fragmentation by roads and housing. In Indian River County, that is the same pressure facing the scrub and flatwoods between Sebastian and Fellsmere.

The FWC advises Sebastian residents to stand back, leave a snake alone and remove the debris and rodents that draw snakes to yards.

The FWC advice is to stand back and observe. The agency states that snakes would rather avoid encounters and usually flee, that a venomous snake in the woods or crossing the road poses no threat and should be left alone, and that there is no good reason to kill a snake except in the unlikely situation of a venomous snake posing immediate danger to people or pets. Killing or harming an Eastern indigo snake in Indian River County is not allowed because of its protected status.

UF/IFAS gives the practical reason for leaving every snake alone: many harmless species resemble venomous ones, so attempting to capture or harass any snake risks a bite from a venomous one. The FWC also notes that venomous reptiles may only be possessed under license, which rules out keeping a pygmy rattlesnake found in a Sebastian garage. Yard cleanup, rodent control and keeping pets close on trails at the St. Sebastian River Preserve and Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge are the steps the agencies describe.