A Florida photographer was slowly cruising through St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, south of Tallahassee, searching for his next great shot when a battle of the food chain unwound before his eyes.

The cottonmouth, also known as the water moccasin, is a venomous snake found throughout Florida. There are more than 40 species of snakes that are native to Florida, but only six of them are venomous.

Black racers are perhaps the most familiar and recognizable snake species in Central Florida. They are known for their solid black body color, and for being unusually fast among snakes.

Coral snake (20-30 inches): This red, yellow and black snake is found throughout Florida. It’s often confused with the similarly marked harmless king snake — remember the rhyme, “Red touches ...

Coral snake (20-30 inches): This red, yellow and black snake is found throughout Florida. It’s often confused with the similarly marked harmless king snake — remember the rhyme, “Red touches ...

The Eastern coral snake, identifiable by its red, yellow, and black rings, is venomous. There are more than 40 species of snakes that are native to Florida, but only six of them are venomous.

The timber rattlesnake is “a large, heavy-bodied snake with a series of large, black chevron-like crossbands down the pinkish gray or tan body,” according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.

The black rat snake color variation has a more northerly range, however, and can be found within the same range, just north ...

Usually around 20-56 inches in length, the long and slender snakes have large prominent eyes and a black or blue-back with white markings around the chin and throat.