Snakes and spiders in Collier County, Florida
Collier County, home of East Naples, has 26 snake and 30 spider species on record, from 2,428 licensed snake and 405 spider records. Venomous species here: the Florida cottonmouth, the northern cottonmouth, the pygmy rattlesnake, the eastern diamondback rattlesnake and the brown widow.
Are there venomous snakes or spiders in Collier County?
Yes. The Florida cottonmouth: 77 licensed records, 17% of all Florida records of it. The northern cottonmouth: 23 licensed records, 8% of all Florida records of it. The pygmy rattlesnake: 17 licensed records, 4% of all Florida records of it. The eastern diamondback rattlesnake: 16 licensed records, 4% of all Florida records of it. The brown widow: 1 licensed record, 1% of all Florida records of it.
What snakes are in Collier County?
In all, 26 snake species are on the Collier County list. The most recorded are the Burmese python (1,647), the southern watersnake (113) and the eastern racer (86).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Florida records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burmese python introduced Python bivittatus | 1,647 | 20% |
| 2 | Southern watersnake Nerodia fasciata | 113 | 8% |
| 3 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | 86 | 5% |
| 4 | Florida cottonmouth venomous Agkistrodon conanti | 77 | 17% |
| 5 | Salt marsh snake Nerodia clarkii | 76 | 26% |
| 6 | Eastern ribbonsnake Thamnophis saurita | 56 | 7% |
| 7 | Florida green water snake Nerodia floridana | 30 | 7% |
| 8 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | 27 | 5% |
| 9 | Brahminy blindsnake introduced Indotyphlops braminus | 25 | 12% |
| 10 | Corn snake Pantherophis guttatus | 24 | 3% |
| 11 | Northern water snake Nerodia sipedon | 24 | 23% |
| 12 | Northern cottonmouth venomous Agkistrodon piscivorus | 23 | 8% |
| 13 | Scarlet snake Cemophora coccinea | 22 | 10% |
| 14 | Eastern kingsnake Lampropeltis getula | 21 | 11% |
| 15 | Brown water snake Nerodia taxispilota | 20 | 6% |
| 16 | Pygmy rattlesnake venomous Sistrurus miliarius | 17 | 4% |
| 17 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | 17 | 4% |
| 18 | Striped crayfish snake Liodytes alleni | 17 | 5% |
| 19 | Eastern diamondback rattlesnake venomous Crotalus adamanteus | 16 | 4% |
| 20 | Mud snake Farancia abacura | 14 | 7% |
| 21 | Eastern rat snake Pantherophis alleghaniensis | 10 | 8% |
| 22 | Black swamp snake Liodytes pygaea | 8 | 2% |
| 23 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | 6 | 3% |
| 24 | Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum | 5 | 3% |
| 25 | Florida brown snake Storeria victa | 4 | 3% |
| 26 | Scarlet kingsnake Lampropeltis elapsoides | 4 | 6% |
When are snakes out in Collier County?
Observation records of snakes in Collier County run through most of the year, peaking in March with 22% of them, the same peak as Florida as a whole.
What spiders are in Collier County?
In all, 30 spider species are on the Collier County list. The most recorded are the greater leucauge (55), the slender nursery web spider (38) and the spiny-backed orbweaver (23).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Florida records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greater leucauge Leucauge argyra | 55 | 11% |
| 2 | Slender nursery web spider Pisaurina undulata | 38 | 49% |
| 3 | Spiny-backed orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis | 23 | 3% |
| 4 | Leucauge argyrobapta | 20 | 3% |
| 5 | Misumenops bellulus | 19 | 27% |
| 6 | Gray wall jumper Menemerus bivittatus | 15 | 4% |
| 7 | Red-femured spotted orbweaver Neoscona domiciliorum | 11 | 9% |
| 8 | Tuftlegged orbweaver Mangora placida | 11 | 14% |
| 9 | Arabesque orbweaver Neoscona arabesca | 10 | 5% |
| 10 | Magnolia green jumper Lyssomanes viridis | 9 | 3% |
| 11 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | 6 | 6% |
| 12 | Green lynx spider Peucetia viridans | 5 | 1% |
| 13 | Sixspotted fishing spider Dolomedes triton | 4 | 2% |
| 14 | Giant swamp fishing spider Dolomedes okefinokensis | 3 | 18% |
| 15 | Huntsman spider Heteropoda venatoria | 3 | 3% |
| 16 | Regal jumper Phidippus regius | 3 | 1% |
| 17 | Selenops submaculosus | 3 | 15% |
| 18 | Tropical orb weaver Eriophora ravilla | 3 | 1% |
| 19 | Zilloides orb-weaver Metazygia zilloides | 3 | 4% |
| 20 | American golden orb weaver Trichonephila clavipes | 2 | 0% |
| 21 | Bifurcate trashline orbweaver Allocyclosa bifurca | 1 | 2% |
| 22 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | 1 | 0% |
| 23 | Brown widow venomous introduced Latrodectus geometricus | 1 | 1% |
| 24 | Common Hentz jumping spider Hentzia palmarum | 1 | 1% |
| 25 | Shoreline wolf spider Arctosa littoralis | 1 | 3% |
| 26 | Twin-flagged jumping spider Anasaitis canosa | 1 | 0% |
| 27 | Arrowhead orbweaver Verrucosa arenata | — | — |
| 28 | Global tentweb weaver Cyrtophora citricola | — | — |
| 29 | Straight-banded nursery web spider Pisaurina brevipes | — | — |
| 30 | Tigrosa annexa | — | — |
When are spiders out in Collier County?
Observation records of spiders in Collier County run mostly August through March, peaking in December with 18% of them; across Florida the peak is April.
What stands out in Collier County
Species for which Collier County holds a large share of all Florida records: the slender nursery web spider, 49% (38 of 77); Misumenops bellulus, 27% (19 of 71); the salt marsh snake, 26% (76 of 293); the northern water snake, 23% (24 of 104); the Burmese python, 20% (1,647 of 8,141); the Florida cottonmouth, 17% (77 of 461).
Harmless lookalikes in Collier County
No copperheads reach the county list, but the eastern copperhead is on the Florida list: treat any snake like it as venomous until identified. Harmless species often taken for them here: the corn snake, the northern water snake and the eastern rat snake. Cottonmouths are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the southern watersnake, the Florida green water snake, the northern water snake and the brown water snake. No coral snakes reach the county list, but the eastern coral snake is on the Florida list: treat any snake like it as venomous until identified. Harmless species often taken for them here: the scarlet snake and the scarlet kingsnake.
Collier County among Florida counties
By licensed snake records Collier County ranks 2nd of 67 Florida counties with any.
Other Florida counties with their own page: Miami-Dade County, Alachua County, Monroe County, Broward County, Lee County, Orange County, Marion County and Palm Beach County.
The whole state: venomous species in Florida, all snakes, all spiders.
GBIF records read 2026-09-29. Listed: any license. Counted: CC0/CC BY only. How we count.