Snakes and spiders in Hillsborough County, Florida
Hillsborough County has 24 snake and 34 spider species on record, from 179 licensed snake and 302 spider records. Venomous species here: the Florida cottonmouth, the pygmy rattlesnake, the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the eastern coral snake, the brown widow and the southern black widow.
Are there venomous snakes or spiders in Hillsborough County?
Yes. The Florida cottonmouth: 6 licensed records, 1% of all Florida records of it. The pygmy rattlesnake: 5 licensed records, 1% of all Florida records of it. The eastern diamondback rattlesnake: 3 licensed records, 1% of all Florida records of it. The eastern coral snake: 2 licensed records, 1% of all Florida records of it. The brown widow: 6 licensed records, 4% of all Florida records of it. The southern black widow: 1 licensed record, 2% of all Florida records of it.
What snakes are in Hillsborough County?
In all, 24 snake species are on the Hillsborough County list. The most recorded are the eastern racer (40), the southern watersnake (26) and the ring-necked snake (13).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Florida records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | 40 | 2% |
| 2 | Southern watersnake Nerodia fasciata | 26 | 2% |
| 3 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | 13 | 3% |
| 4 | Corn snake Pantherophis guttatus | 12 | 2% |
| 5 | Brahminy blindsnake introduced Indotyphlops braminus | 11 | 5% |
| 6 | Eastern ribbonsnake Thamnophis saurita | 10 | 1% |
| 7 | Florida cottonmouth venomous Agkistrodon conanti | 6 | 1% |
| 8 | Pine woods snake Rhadinaea flavilata | 6 | 6% |
| 9 | Brown water snake Nerodia taxispilota | 5 | 1% |
| 10 | Pygmy rattlesnake venomous Sistrurus miliarius | 5 | 1% |
| 11 | Eastern diamondback rattlesnake venomous Crotalus adamanteus | 3 | 1% |
| 12 | Eastern kingsnake Lampropeltis getula | 3 | 2% |
| 13 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | 2 | 0% |
| 14 | Eastern coral snake venomous Micrurus fulvius | 2 | 1% |
| 15 | Florida green water snake Nerodia floridana | 2 | 0% |
| 16 | Scarlet snake Cemophora coccinea | 2 | 1% |
| 17 | Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum | 1 | 1% |
| 18 | Florida brown snake Storeria victa | 1 | 1% |
| 19 | Florida crowned snake Tantilla relicta | 1 | 1% |
| 20 | Mud snake Farancia abacura | 1 | 1% |
| 21 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | 1 | 0% |
| 22 | Eastern rat snake Pantherophis alleghaniensis | — | — |
| 23 | Scarlet kingsnake Lampropeltis elapsoides | — | — |
| 24 | Striped crayfish snake Liodytes alleni | — | — |
When are snakes out in Hillsborough County?
Observation records of snakes in Hillsborough County run through most of the year, peaking in April with 24% of them; across Florida the peak is March.
What spiders are in Hillsborough County?
In all, 34 spider species are on the Hillsborough County list. The most recorded are Rabidosa carrana (30), Leucauge argyrobapta (18) and the gray wall jumper (13). Hillsborough County holds more than half of all Florida records of Rabidosa carrana.
| # | Species | Records | Share of Florida records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rabidosa carrana | 30 | 71% |
| 2 | Leucauge argyrobapta | 18 | 3% |
| 3 | Gray wall jumper Menemerus bivittatus | 13 | 3% |
| 4 | Magnolia green jumper Lyssomanes viridis | 10 | 3% |
| 5 | Green lynx spider Peucetia viridans | 9 | 2% |
| 6 | Regal jumper Phidippus regius | 9 | 4% |
| 7 | Spiny-backed orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis | 9 | 1% |
| 8 | Box spider Crossopriza lyoni | 8 | 13% |
| 9 | American golden orb weaver Trichonephila clavipes | 7 | 1% |
| 10 | Twin-flagged jumping spider Anasaitis canosa | 7 | 3% |
| 11 | Brown widow venomous introduced Latrodectus geometricus | 6 | 4% |
| 12 | Arabesque orbweaver Neoscona arabesca | 5 | 3% |
| 13 | Tigrosa annexa | 5 | 4% |
| 14 | Greater leucauge Leucauge argyra | 4 | 1% |
| 15 | Tuftlegged orbweaver Mangora placida | 4 | 5% |
| 16 | Blacktailed red sheetweaver Florinda coccinea | 3 | 6% |
| 17 | Familiar jumping spider Platycryptus undatus | 3 | 7% |
| 18 | Huntsman spider Heteropoda venatoria | 3 | 3% |
| 19 | Red-femured spotted orbweaver Neoscona domiciliorum | 3 | 2% |
| 20 | Sixspotted fishing spider Dolomedes triton | 3 | 2% |
| 21 | Tropical orb weaver Eriophora ravilla | 3 | 1% |
| 22 | Zilloides orb-weaver Metazygia zilloides | 3 | 4% |
| 23 | Bark lynx spider Hamataliwa grisea | 2 | 8% |
| 24 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | 2 | 1% |
| 25 | Cyclosa turbinata | 2 | 7% |
| 26 | Arrowhead orbweaver Verrucosa arenata | 1 | 2% |
| 27 | Common Hentz jumping spider Hentzia palmarum | 1 | 1% |
| 28 | Global tentweb weaver Cyrtophora citricola | 1 | 2% |
| 29 | Metacyrba punctata | 1 | 6% |
| 30 | Pantropical jumper Plexippus paykulli | 1 | 3% |
| 31 | Southern black widow venomous Latrodectus mactans | 1 | 2% |
| 32 | Southern house spider Kukulcania hibernalis | 1 | 2% |
| 33 | White-jawed jumping spider Hentzia mitrata | 1 | 3% |
| 34 | Brown spitting spider Scytodes fusca | — | — |
When are spiders out in Hillsborough County?
Observation records of spiders in Hillsborough County run through most of the year, peaking in March with 12% of them; across Florida the peak is April.
What stands out in Hillsborough County
Species for which Hillsborough County holds a large share of all Florida records: Rabidosa carrana, 71% (30 of 42).
Common in Florida, not on the Hillsborough County list
Among the snakes most recorded across Florida, these do not reach the county list: the Burmese python (8,141 statewide) and the black swamp snake (431 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Harmless lookalikes in Hillsborough 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 and the eastern rat snake. Cottonmouths are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the southern watersnake, the brown water snake, the Florida green water snake and the mud snake. Coral snakes are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the scarlet snake and the scarlet kingsnake. Recluse spiders are not on the Florida list, but GBIF holds 1 recluse spider record of any license in Florida (brown recluse 1): treat any spider like this as venomous until identified. Harmless species often taken for them here: the southern house spider.
Hillsborough County among Florida counties
By licensed snake records Hillsborough County ranks 20th of 67 Florida counties with any.
Other Florida counties with their own page: Miami-Dade County, Collier County, Alachua County, Monroe County, Broward County, Lee County, Orange County and Marion 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.