Snakes and spiders in Orange County, Florida
Orange County, home of Orlando, has 26 snake and 47 spider species on record, from 574 licensed snake and 785 spider records. Venomous species here: the pygmy rattlesnake, the Florida cottonmouth, the eastern diamondback rattlesnake, the eastern coral snake, the brown widow and the southern black widow.
Are there venomous snakes or spiders in Orange County?
Yes. The pygmy rattlesnake: 17 licensed records, 4% of all Florida records of it. The Florida cottonmouth: 10 licensed records, 2% of all Florida records of it. The eastern diamondback rattlesnake: 8 licensed records, 2% of all Florida records of it. The eastern coral snake: 6 licensed records, 3% of all Florida records of it. The brown widow: 9 licensed records, 6% of all Florida records of it. The southern black widow: 3 licensed records, 6% of all Florida records of it.
What snakes are in Orange County?
In all, 26 snake species are on the Orange County list. The most recorded are the southern watersnake (144), the Florida crowned snake (76) and the eastern racer (67). Orange County holds more than half of all Florida records of the green water snake.
| # | Species | Records | Share of Florida records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern watersnake Nerodia fasciata | 144 | 10% |
| 2 | Florida crowned snake Tantilla relicta | 76 | 42% |
| 3 | Eastern racer Coluber constrictor | 67 | 4% |
| 4 | Green water snake Nerodia cyclopion | 61 | 55% |
| 5 | Ring-necked snake Diadophis punctatus | 27 | 6% |
| 6 | Scarlet snake Cemophora coccinea | 19 | 9% |
| 7 | Florida green water snake Nerodia floridana | 17 | 4% |
| 8 | Pygmy rattlesnake venomous Sistrurus miliarius | 17 | 4% |
| 9 | Corn snake Pantherophis guttatus | 14 | 2% |
| 10 | Striped crayfish snake Liodytes alleni | 14 | 4% |
| 11 | Brown water snake Nerodia taxispilota | 11 | 3% |
| 12 | Eastern ribbonsnake Thamnophis saurita | 11 | 1% |
| 13 | Brahminy blindsnake introduced Indotyphlops braminus | 10 | 5% |
| 14 | Florida cottonmouth venomous Agkistrodon conanti | 10 | 2% |
| 15 | Pine woods snake Rhadinaea flavilata | 10 | 10% |
| 16 | Eastern diamondback rattlesnake venomous Crotalus adamanteus | 8 | 2% |
| 17 | Eastern coral snake venomous Micrurus fulvius | 6 | 3% |
| 18 | Eastern hog-nosed snake Heterodon platirhinos | 6 | 6% |
| 19 | Rough greensnake Opheodrys aestivus | 6 | 3% |
| 20 | Black swamp snake Liodytes pygaea | 4 | 1% |
| 21 | Coachwhip Masticophis flagellum | 4 | 2% |
| 22 | Common garter snake Thamnophis sirtalis | 4 | 1% |
| 23 | Mud snake Farancia abacura | 3 | 2% |
| 24 | Florida brown snake Storeria victa | 1 | 1% |
| 25 | Pine snake Pituophis melanoleucus | 1 | 2% |
| 26 | Scarlet kingsnake Lampropeltis elapsoides | — | — |
When are snakes out in Orange County?
Observation records of snakes in Orange County run through most of the year, peaking in April with 17% of them; across Florida the peak is March.
What spiders are in Orange County?
In all, 47 spider species are on the Orange County list. The most recorded are the green lynx spider (106), the gray wall jumper (54) and the arabesque orbweaver (42).
| # | Species | Records | Share of Florida records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Green lynx spider Peucetia viridans | 106 | 21% |
| 2 | Gray wall jumper Menemerus bivittatus | 54 | 14% |
| 3 | Arabesque orbweaver Neoscona arabesca | 42 | 21% |
| 4 | Leucauge argyrobapta | 40 | 6% |
| 5 | Greater leucauge Leucauge argyra | 37 | 7% |
| 6 | Black-and-yellow argiope Argiope aurantia | 34 | 10% |
| 7 | Regal jumper Phidippus regius | 33 | 15% |
| 8 | Zilloides orb-weaver Metazygia zilloides | 31 | 43% |
| 9 | Spiny-backed orbweaver Gasteracantha cancriformis | 28 | 3% |
| 10 | Sixspotted fishing spider Dolomedes triton | 22 | 12% |
| 11 | American golden orb weaver Trichonephila clavipes | 20 | 2% |
| 12 | Twin-flagged jumping spider Anasaitis canosa | 20 | 8% |
| 13 | Magnolia green jumper Lyssomanes viridis | 16 | 5% |
| 14 | Tigrosa annexa | 16 | 14% |
| 15 | Tropical orb weaver Eriophora ravilla | 13 | 4% |
| 16 | Bowl and doily spider Frontinella pyramitela | 12 | 29% |
| 17 | Common Hentz jumping spider Hentzia palmarum | 11 | 12% |
| 18 | Red-femured spotted orbweaver Neoscona domiciliorum | 11 | 9% |
| 19 | Brown widow venomous introduced Latrodectus geometricus | 9 | 6% |
| 20 | Slender nursery web spider Pisaurina undulata | 8 | 10% |
| 21 | Heptagonal orbweaver Gea heptagon | 7 | 14% |
| 22 | Tuftlegged orbweaver Mangora placida | 7 | 9% |
| 23 | White-banded fishing spider Dolomedes albineus | 7 | 6% |
| 24 | Box spider Crossopriza lyoni | 6 | 10% |
| 25 | Rabidosa hentzi | 6 | 19% |
| 26 | Blacktailed red sheetweaver Florinda coccinea | 5 | 9% |
| 27 | Rabid wolf spider Rabidosa rabida | 5 | 10% |
| 28 | Brilliant jumping spider Phidippus clarus | 4 | 10% |
| 29 | Larinia directa | 4 | 12% |
| 30 | Straight-banded nursery web spider Pisaurina brevipes | 4 | 31% |
| 31 | Sylvan jumping spider Colonus sylvanus | 4 | 6% |
| 32 | White-jawed jumping spider Hentzia mitrata | 4 | 11% |
| 33 | Southern black widow venomous Latrodectus mactans | 3 | 6% |
| 34 | Southern house spider Kukulcania hibernalis | 3 | 5% |
| 35 | Whitebanded crab spider Misumenoides formosipes | 3 | 6% |
| 36 | Banded garden spider Argiope trifasciata | 2 | 2% |
| 37 | Huntsman spider Heteropoda venatoria | 2 | 2% |
| 38 | Pantropical jumper Plexippus paykulli | 2 | 6% |
| 39 | Arrowhead orbweaver Verrucosa arenata | 1 | 2% |
| 40 | Georgia wolf spider Tigrosa georgicola | 1 | 2% |
| 41 | Lined orbweaver Mangora gibberosa | 1 | 3% |
| 42 | Metacyrba punctata | 1 | 6% |
| 43 | Sosippus floridanus | 1 | 12% |
| 44 | Bark lynx spider Hamataliwa grisea | — | — |
| 45 | Basilica orbweaver Mecynogea lemniscata | — | — |
| 46 | Lupettiana mordax | — | — |
| 47 | Yellow ghost spider Hibana velox | — | — |
When are spiders out in Orange County?
Observation records of spiders in Orange County run through most of the year, peaking in June with 15% of them; across Florida the peak is April.
What stands out in Orange County
Species for which Orange County holds a large share of all Florida records: the green water snake, 55% (61 of 111); the zilloides orb-weaver, 43% (31 of 72); the Florida crowned snake, 42% (76 of 179); the bowl and doily spider, 29% (12 of 41); the arabesque orbweaver, 21% (42 of 197); the green lynx spider, 21% (106 of 509); the regal jumper, 15% (33 of 213).
Common in Florida, not on the Orange County list
Among the snakes most recorded across Florida, these do not reach the county list: the Burmese python (8,141 statewide). Few records here can mean the species is rare in the county, or that few people have looked.
Harmless lookalikes in Orange 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 hog-nosed snake. Cottonmouths are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the southern watersnake, the green water snake, the Florida green water snake and the brown water snake. Rattlesnakes are on the county list, and so are harmless species often taken for them: the eastern hog-nosed snake and the pine 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.
Orange County among Florida counties
By licensed snake records Orange County ranks 7th 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, 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.