{"id":423,"date":"2026-04-02T14:52:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/?p=423"},"modified":"2026-04-17T08:04:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T12:04:30","slug":"snakes-in-paulding-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/2026\/04\/snakes-in-paulding-county\/","title":{"rendered":"Snakes in Paulding County"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Simply hearing the word snake sends shivers up some folks’ spines. However, snakes are an important component of our ecosystem in Georgia due to their major role as both a predator and prey. The rising temperatures bring on a time when some wildlife, including snakes, become more active. Snakes are common across Georgia even in urban and suburban areas.\u00a0 As development and population growth continue in Georgia, encounters between humans and snakes will increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Pine snakes are a native, non-venomous snake found in Paulding County. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Snakes are economically beneficial because they eat rats, mice, and other animals deemed to be pests. Some snakes have been used as bioindicators to assess pollutants in terrestrial or aquatic ecosystems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least 20 percent of the U.S. population suffers from some degree of snake fear. Regardless of the cause, extreme fear is unnecessary. Snakes are not under every rock or behind every tree; encounters are relatively infrequent. Typically, the more people learn about snakes, the less they fear them. By learning about species identification and distribution as well as the fascinating natural history of these reptiles, you will greatly reduce your fear of Georgia’s snakes and enjoy the outdoors more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, many species of snakes are declining because of human activities. Thankfully, of the snake species native to Georgia, only two are state listed as threatened in their south Georgia ranges: the eastern indigo snake and the southern hognose snake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Snakes are reptiles characterized by elongated bodies and a lack of limbs. Snakes are closely related to lizards, but do not have external ears or eyelids. The skin of snakes is dry and scaly, not slimy like some people believe. Snakes have a forked tongue used to “sample” microscopic particles from the air. The particles are transferred to the Jacobson’s Organ to taste the air to figure out its surroundings. Snakes are “cold-blooded” meaning they rely on their surroundings for body heat. As a result, snakes cannot tolerate extreme temperatures. Therefore, when it is cold or extremely hot outside, snakes are relatively inactive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether a snake is venomous or not is the top worry of most people. Odds are it is not venomous. Only seven of the 47 Georgia’s native snake species are venomous. Only one, the copperhead, usually thrives in suburban areas, which is where many Georgians live. In Paulding County, these are the snakes that you may encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Venous snakes in Paulding County \u2013 <\/strong>Pit Vipers \u2013 Subfamily Crotalinae<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

copperhead                                        Agkistrodon contortrix<\/em>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

timber rattlesnake                           Crotalus horridus<\/em>   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

pigmy rattlesnake                            Sistrurus miliarius<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Timber
Timber rattlers areone of three venomous snakes in the pit viper family that can be found in Paulding. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Non-venomous Snakes in Paulding County<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colubrids \u2013 Family Colubridae<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

scarlet snake                                      Cemophora coccinea<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

black racer \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Coluber constrictor<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

coachwhip \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Coluber flagellum<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

mole kingsnake                                 Lampropeltis rhombomaculata<\/em>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

eastern kingsnake                            Lampropeltis getula<\/em>   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

rough green snake                           Opheodrys aestivus<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

corn snake                                          Pantherophis guttatus<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

eastern rat snake                             Pantherophis alleghaniensis<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

northern pine snake                        Pituophis m. melanoleucus<\/em>   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

southeastern crowned snake      Tantilla coronata<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watersnakes and their Allies \u2013 [Family Natricidae]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

plain-bellied watersnake               Nerodia erythrogaster<\/em>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

northern watersnake                     Nerodia sipedon<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

brown watersnake                          Nerodia taxispilota<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

queen snake                                      Regina septemvittata<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dekay\u2019s brown snake                      Storeria dekayi<\/em>                               <\/p>\n\n\n\n

red-bellied snake                             Storeria occipitomaculata<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ribbon snake                                      Thamnophis saurita<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

garter snake                                       Thamnophis sir<\/em>talis <\/p>\n\n\n\n

smooth earth snake                        Virginia valeriae<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harmless Rear-fanged Snakes \u2013 [Family Xenodontidae]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

eastern worm snake                       Carphophis amoenus<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ring-necked snake                           Diadophis punctatus<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

eastern hog-nosed snake             Heterodon platirhinos<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for what to do when you see a snake, according to DNR\u2019s state herpetologist offers this advice:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When You See a Snake<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. First, do not attempt to handle the snake. Give it the space it needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. If you want to try and identify it, do so from a distance. Resources such as georgiawildlife.com\/georgiasnakes, which includes DNR\u2019s \u201cVenomous Snakes of Georgia\u201d brochure, can help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Remember that snakes are predators that feed on small mammals, amphibians, insects and even other snakes. There is no need to fear nonvenomous snakes. Also, Georgia\u2019s native nonvenomous species are protected by state law. One, the eastern indigo, is even federally protected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. If a clearly identified venomous snake is in an area where it represents a danger to people or pets, visit georgiawildlife.com\/preventing-wildlife-conflicts for a list of private wildlife removal specialists. Many bites occur when a snake is cornered or captured and defending itself<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of the 7,000 to 8,000 people bitten by snakes in the U.S. every year, only about five<\/u><\/strong> result in fatalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In venomous snake country, always look where you put your body and keep an eye on pets and children. Most bites happen to those who try to move, kill, restrain or otherwise harass snakes, so be sane and refrain! A snake knows more about what is happening around than any other creature, because it has no ears to listen – only direct perception.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The author of this article, Phillip Prichard, is a Paulding UGA Extension Master Gardener, Master Herpetologist, and a UGA Master Naturalist, trained to provide education for homeowners on horticulture, sustainable landscaping, and environmentally friendly gardening practices using unbiased, research-based information from the University of Georgia.\u00a0 For more information, contact Paulding County UGA Extension at 770-443-7616 or view our online resources at\u00a0www.ugaextension.org\/paulding<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Simply hearing the word snake sends shivers up some folks’ spines. However, snakes are an important component of our ecosystem in Georgia due to their major role as both a predator and prey. The rising temperatures bring on a time when some wildlife, including snakes, become more active. Snakes are common across Georgia even in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":310,"featured_media":425,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/310"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=423"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":428,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/423\/revisions\/428"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.extension.uga.edu\/paulding\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}