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The Four Native Venomous Snakes of West Central Florida – Printable

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Click the above link to open the pdf (portable document format) file, which is the best quality for print.

West Central Florida’s Four Venomous Snake Species [Native]

There are four venomous snakes that flourish in central and southern Florida, namely the eastern diamondback, the eastern coral snake, the dusky pygmy rattlesnake and the Florida cottonmouth, also known as the water moccasin.

 Florida offers ideal weather conditions and habitat for dozens of snake species, but only four of those snake species are classified as venomous. Venomous snakes inject venom when they bite. Although venomous snakes are often described as poisonous, venomous snakes aren’t actually poisonous since poison must be ingested rather than injected. Technically, there’s no such thing as a poisonous snake. Venomous snakes, on the other hand, are dangerous and should be avoided.

Florida residents shouldn’t be overly concerned about non-venomous snakes, but it’s important to note that it can be difficult to distinguish between the previously mentioned venomous snakes and certain non-venomous snake species. It should also be mentioned that north Florida is home to the timber rattlesnake and the copperhead.

Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake

The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is the largest venomous snake species in the United States. The average length of an eastern diamondback is between five and six feet. This dangerous venomous snake will strike from a classic coiled position and can extend half of its body length to reach a target. Never go near an eastern diamondback to avoid serious injury.

Eastern Coral Snake

The eastern coral snake is distinguished by a red and yellow coloration pattern. The venom of the eastern coral snake is neurotoxic, affecting the nervous system and causing paralysis of the diaphragm.

Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake

The dusky pygmy rattlesnake is a small rattlesnake with an average length of between 15 and 22 inches. The rattle is so small it sounds like a buzzing insect. This venomous snake is gray with colored blotches running along its back. The venom of the dusky pygmy rattlesnake is painful but not lethal. This particular snake accounts for more Florida snakebites than any other venomous snake species.

Florida Cottonmouth

Also known as a water moccasin, the Florida cottonmouth is a venomous water snake. This dangerous venomous snake is characterized by its solid dull black or patterned coloration. The most common way to identify a water moccasin is to watch for the black eye line running from the side of the snake’s eye and down the side of its head. Even baby cottonmouths have this distinctive eye line.

To see our summary page of the snakes and the images click here.

Two New Dog Faced Bats Discovered in Panama & Ecuador

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Researchers from the Panama-based Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) first came across the Freeman’s dog-faced bat inside abandoned wooden houses in the town of Gamboa in 2012. Over the course of five nights, the team captured 56 bats using specialized mist nets, took their measurements, then released them. They also recorded the bats’ calls and collected one individual that had died.

WORRIED ABOUT BATS? CALL 1-866-263-WILD

At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in Washington, D.C, the scientists compared their field observations, including DNA, sound recordings and body measurements of the bats, with existing museum collections from across the Americas and Europe, and confirmed that the bat was new to science. They named it Freeman’s dog-faced bat after Patricia Freeman, a bat specialist currently at the University of Nebraska State Museum of Natural History.

“We were very lucky to catch several different individuals of this species in mist nets and to record their calls,” Thomas Sattler, who was one of the team members in Panama at the time of collection, told Smithsonian Insider. “Knowing their species-specific echolocation calls may make it possible to find them again in the future with a bat detector — without catching them—and to find out more about their distribution and habitat preferences.”

In fact, some STRI staff recently spotted pregnant females of the species in Gamboa in August 2017, and some young individuals the following month.

A Waorani dog-faced bat. Photo by Diego Tirira.
The newly described Freeman’s dog-faced bat. Photo by Thomas Sattler.

The Smithsonian team described the second new species — the slightly smaller Waorani dog-faced bat — from individuals collected by other naturalists and researchers from Ecuador’s rainforests. The team did not have any call recordings of the bats, so they confirmed its status by comparing the bats’ physical measurements and DNA with those of other museum specimens collected in Ecuador.

“Identifying two mammal species new to science is extremely exciting,” Ligiane Moras, lead author of the study who did part of this work as a fellow at NMNH, said in a statement.

by Mongabay

Nuisance Wildlife Removal Inc is fully licensed and insured. We are a locally and family-owned business that has been operating in Manatee and Sarasota county for 20 years. We are the REAL experts with the long term EXPERIENCE that can save you from costly mistakes. Don’t trust your home or budget to a new guy on the block. Call today to speak with a trusted professional. 1-866-263-WILD! 

 

Crazy Things Raccoons Do [Manatee County]

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If you or your pet is bitten by any wild animal, you are urged to seek medical treatment.

 

Crazy Things Raccoons Do [Manatee County]

Unprovoked Raccoon Attacks, Bites, 13-Year Old Girl

June 5, 2017

Here is the scenario. It could have been the most normal father and daughter stroll around the neighborhood, but it became an emergency room visit. The reason was that a raccoon came out of the bushes and bit a little girl on the leg–totally unprovoked!

It was described that in late May evening around 5:45 a father and 13 year old daughter were walking and talking together near the entrance of their neighborhood subdivision around the Cape Coral, FL area. The daughter was said to be less than 5 feet in front of the father when she heard a growling noise from the bushes, followed by a raccoon coming at her that immediately bit on to her leg. When she screamed, the raccoon finally let go.

By the way, if you see raccoons around your property, or think you have them present in your home, please contact a professional! You can click to contact us here 24/7 at Nuisance Wildlife Removal, Inc. or call 1-866-263-WILD or 729-2103. 

It was thought that either the raccoon was rabid or trying to protect her babies. The animal caused the girls shin to bleed and the father immediately took her to the hospital for treatment. According to the Center for Disease Control, when a human is bitten by an animal, at first there may not be any symptoms. But weeks, or even months after a bite, rabies can cause pain, fatigue, headaches, fever, and irritability. These are followed by seizures, hallucinations, and paralysis. Human rabies are almost always fatal.

According to the Center for Disease Control, when a human is bitten by an animal, at first there may not be any symptoms. But weeks, or even months after a bite, rabies can cause pain, fatigue, headaches, fever, and irritability. These are followed by seizures, hallucinations, and paralysis. Human rabies are almost always fatal.

She was given two shots, and advised to return on day 3,7 and 14 for further treatment. Although costs can vary, a course of rabies treatment commonly exceeds $3,000.

Please use caution around any wildlife out there!

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Stay up to date with local wildlife happenings! Follow us on facebook at  fb.com/wildlife.trapper.

Call Nuisance Wildlife Removal, Inc. today, to humanely solve your wildlife problems, and wildlife proof your home! 1-866-263-WILD or 941- 729-2103. Feel free to ask us any questions. Click here to send a message. 

 

Information credit to: parkland talk dot com.

Wild Hog Removal Lakewood Ranch

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Wild Hog Trapping Lakewood Ranch

Do you have damage in your yard that looks like something has uprooted the vegetation and moved it aside? It’s possible that you have wild pig damage and need a trained professional to come out and trap it to prevent further damage and costs!

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Front yard area of home where grass is uprooted and the soil is exposed.

For more information and a FREE INSPECTION/ESTIMATE call us at 1-866-263-WILD or 941-729-2103. We are experts at wild hog, and feral pig removal in Lakewood Ranch and surrounding areas. Thank you for supporting a local, family owned business.

What are wild hogs exactly and where do they come from?

The wild hog (Sus scrofa), is also called a wild pig, wild boar or feral pig, and is not a Florida native. Many think that it was introduced by Spanish explorer Hernando Desoto as far back as 1539. However most agree that they were introduced by some Europeans and are considered an exotic species. In the state of Florida, wild hogs exist in all 67 counties. They can get as large as 150 lbs and grow to 5-6 feet long. They will move alone or in groups of relatives as in a small family.

What do wild hogs eat?

A feral pig is omnivores… eating all types of foods, both animal and plant life. They are know to eat by rooting around with their broad snouts. You will recognize that they have been in the area by the fact that they soil has been uncovered and disturbed, and the plant material, be it grass or other vegetation appears to have been plowed up.

The Damages

Like many wild animals, wild hogs can carry diseases that can be spread to humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. When hogs root below the surface for food, it destabilizes the soil surface, whic can lead to erosion and exotic plants then come in and take over. This weakens the native plants and damages lawns, roads, recreation areas and even structure. When wild pigs wallow, tis impacts small ponds and stream banks making the water fallow and declines in quality.

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Two wild boars in a grassy area. One is rust and the other is brown.

 

WORRIED ABOUT WILD HOGS? Call 1-866-263 WILD!

Nuisance Wildlife Removal, Inc is very well known in the community as the GO-TO expert with the highest experience level in solving difficult nuisance infestations efficiently and easily. We employ advanced technology such as thermographic cameras and Go-pro technology. This reduces the amount of damage to your structure and in turn, will reduce the overall cost of your project.  
For more information and a FREE INSPECTION/ESTIMATE call us at 1-866-263-WILD or 941-729-2103. We are experts at wild hog, and feral pig removal in Lakewood Ranch and surrounding areas.

Fun Facts About Bats [Wildlife Removal Services in Lakewood Ranch]

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BATS [Wildlife Removal Services Lakewood Ranch]

Believe it or not, BATS  are the world’s only true flying mammal. They are very beneficial and can eat their weight in insects, even those pesky mosquitoes, and in doing so they keep nature in balance.

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A cluster of bats some hanging upside down by their feet.

 

Bats become a problem when they have found a way to take up residence within an occupied building or home. Bats are not beneficial when this happens, and they need to be dealt with by a professional ASAP. How can I know if there are bats in my home? Sometimes it is as simple as you or a neighbor seeing them fly out of a particular area of your home at dusk. Other times you may notice what appears to be small black grains of rice on the ground or stuck to your exterior walls, this is guano (bat droppings which extreme caution should be used when trying to remove or clean). If you have observed any of these things, please call a trusted professional at Nuisance Wildlife Removal. We service Lakewood Ranch and other surrounding areas. You may even have a foul odor or stench coming from one particular room, this would be from the guano in the attic, when the temperature rises it tends to make the smell stronger. More often than not, some people can hear them scampering about or even making the high pitched “chattering” that they do. Bats can live nearly everywhere people can live. Although they prefer a much warmer climate like that of attics, chimneys, wall, or high-rise office and apartment buildings. In nature they can usually be found in trees or caves. Bats are attracted to areas with especially mild climates and lots of insects.

Click here to read our full page of frequently asked questions…. 

Call us for a free inspection at 866-263-WILD 24/7. We are your EXPERTS for Bat Removal in Lakewood Ranch and are fully licensed and insured. 

 BAT FUN FACTS

  • The smallest mammal alive today is the bumblebee bat. Found only in Thailand and Myanmar, the bumblebee bat is no bigger than a bee and weighs only about as much as a dime. The tiny bat beats its wings so fast that it can hover in place like a hummingbird and is so rare that it was unknown to science until 1974.
  • Some bats can walk. Vampire bats, for instance, often crawl undetected onto the bodies of their sleeping prey to bite them and sip their blood.
  • Researchers believe that Anoura fistulata, the nectar bat from Ecuador, is the only bat that can pollinate the flowering plant, Centropogon nigricans.
  • The Mexican free-tailed bat is the fastest flying mammal with a top speed of 60 miles per hour (97 kph).

For more information and a FREE INSPECTION/ESTIMATE Call 866-263-WILD or (941)729-2103. We are your expert for humane bat exclusion, trapping or removal and property restoration in Lakewood Ranch and surrounding areas.