Caribbean Snakes: 10 Species You Might Encounter on Vacation

Caribbean Snakes — are you wondering about:

• Are there snakes in the Caribbean?
• Which Caribbean snakes are venomous?
• What kind of snakes can you encounter in the Caribbean?

Read on to find out!

The Caribbean is a stunningly gorgeous place.

It’s filled with crystal clear water, sandy beaches, and plenty of yummy tropical fruit. No wonder it’s one of our favorite places to visit for a warm weather vacation.

But there’s another side to the Caribbean that many people forget about – the snakes! There are over 200 species of snakes in this region, and some are more dangerous than others.

If you’re planning on traveling to the Caribbean soon (or if you just want to learn more about these fascinating creatures), here’s what you need to know:

━ Caribbean Snakes: The Basics

Caribbean snakes are rarely dangerous and should be respected.

Most of the time, they’re not a threat to humans if you leave them alone.

In fact, they’re an important part of the ecosystem—they eat rats and mice that would otherwise spread disease. The food chain depends upon snakes too: some species feed on other reptiles (like lizards), while others eat birds or fish.

Here’s a quick primer on the snakes you may find on your Caribbean visit:

 

St. Vincent Blacksnake

(Chironius vincentii)

The St. Vincent blacksnake also commonly known as the Saint Vincent coachwhip, Vincent’s sipo, or the San Vincent raceris a species of mildly venomous rear-fanged snake in the family Dipsadidae.

Its specific name, vincentii, refers to being local on the island of Saint Vincent in the Grenadines.

This lovely snake can grow to be over 5 feet long and lives in the jungle, where it preys on little frogs and lizards.

 

Barbados Thread Snake

(Leptotyphlops carlae)

The Barbados Thread Snake is the smallest snake in the Caribbean and definitely one of the most unique! It is found only on Barbados, a Caribbean island about 300 miles east of Venezuela.

The Barbados Thread Snake is a burrowing snake that spends its life underground, often living under rocks and logs. This species is secretive, nocturnal, and generally humans.

This species is so small that it can fit into the palm of your hand! It gets its name from its long body and thin tail—these features make its body look like a thread!

While the Barbados Thread Snake is harmless to humans, it may bite if you get too close to it or threaten it in any way. If you encounter one of these snakes in the wild, just give it some space and leave it alone.

 

Antiguan Racer

(Alsophis antiguae)

Antiguan racers are only found on the twin islands of Antigua and Barbuda.

This Caribbean snake is one of the few snakes where males and females may be differentiated by color. Males are typically dark brown with light creamy patterns, while females are silvery-gray with pale brown patches and markings. Females have bigger skulls than males.

These racers, despite their name, are rather slow. They prey four endemic lizard species, which they catch by ambush.These gentle snakes are completely harmless to people; their only defense is to create a musky odor when threatened.The Antiguan racer was proclaimed extinct erroneously twice: once in 1936 and again in 2009.

 

Dominican Blind Snake 

(Antillotyphlops dominicanus)

The Lesser Antilles Caribbean island nation of Dominica is home to a species of blind snake known as the Dominican blind snake or Dominican worm snake (Antillotyphlops dominicanus).

It is found mostly in coastal woods and related cultivated regions. But due to its burrowing tendencies, it is rarely seen. It can grow to 15 in or 385 mm. It is entirely brown in hue with a paler ventral surface and a short, spherical head.

The Dominican blind snake spends most of its time underground where it feeds on earthworms and insects such as termites. It also eats small lizards and frogs if they are available in its territory.

If you encounter one in your vacation home during your stay in these tropical destinations, don’t worry too much about them—they aren’t known for being particularly aggressive either!

 

Puerto Rican Boa

(Chilabothrus inornatus)

Primarily found in Puerto Rico, the snake is typically brown in color and can grow up to 12 feet long. The Puerto Rican boa’s scales are outlined in black, which makes them stand out against its tan skin.

It feeds on rats, mice, bats, lizards, insects and other invertebrates when it is young; however as it matures it will stick more to feeding on bats exclusively.

This particular species of snake prefers to live in trees or on the ground rather than rock ledges or caves where bats often fly overhead, making it easier for them to catch their prey!

 

Jamaican Boa

(Chilabothrus subflavus)

It’s not every day that you get to see a creature so rare and beautiful as the Jamaican Boa. The Jamaican Boa is endemic to Jamaica, which means it lives nowhere else on Earth.

This reptile is frequently found in trees, but it blends in well with its surroundings due to its color variation across its scales.

It’s also not venomous! As an ambush predator, this boa waits patiently for its prey to come within range of its mouthful of sharp teeth. They hunt primarily at night, but they can also be seen basking on rocks during the day when they need to raise their body temperature.

Not only is this species not a threat to humans—in fact, they benefit us tremendously! The rats that comprise part of its diet are an important component of farming habitat, so for example, when farmers find one curled around a banana plant, it’s really digesting a meal that would have otherwise harmed their crops.

 

Red-bellied racer

(Alsophis rufiventris)

The Red Bellied Racer is a small Caribbean snake found in the Lesser Antilles region.

The red belly racer is known for its bright orange belly, which means it’s also sometimes called the Orange-bellied racer. It has black-bordered blotches that transition into a dark stripe towards the posterior. Females have a series of streaks and smudges that fade towards the posterior as well. The males are slightly different from females in that their black-bordered blotches tend to be smaller than those on females.

Snakes of this genus are small rear-fanged snakes, which means they have fangs at the back of their mouth instead of at their front teeth like many other snakes do.

They are also known to have a gentle temperament and are diurnal, which means they are active from dawn to dusk except for a rest around midday. Some species of Alsophis have a poor resistance to common diseases not found where the snake is actually from.

 

Saint Lucia pit viper 

(Bothrops caribbaeus) 

This Caribbean snake is also known as the Saint Lucia lancehead. It can only be found on the Caribbean Lesser Antilles island of Saint Lucia.

This species has a huge head that is shaped like a triangle and is larger than its neck. It is brown and/or black with pale yellow stripes that crisscross the back and sides of the body.

It is highly venomous. However, accidents involving this pit viper and humans are extremely unusual. According to one case, the victim had local discomfort, then left with face facial paralysis, and widespread swelling, especially in the abdomen and chest.

 

Aruba rattlesnake

(Crotalus unicolor)

If you ever find yourself in Aruba, be on the lookout for a snake that is so rare it’s often called the “Aruba Island rattlesnake.“

It’s a venomous pitviper species found only on the Caribbean island of Aruba, off the coast of Venezuela. It’s light brown, tan, or almost pink in color and has dark brown diamond-shaped markings that sometimes blend into the pinkish or reddish soil color of its native habitat.

The markings are sometimes nearly invisible or only visible in a narrow stripe down the middle of the back.

They exist only in thornscrub and desert habitats on the southeastern half of the island. Their diet consists of rodents, birds and lizards.

Due to their extremely limited geographic range, about 230 animals are left in the wild. The Aruba Island rattlesnake is among the rarest rattlesnakes in the world!

 

Green Parrot Snake

(Leptophis ahaetulla)

The green parrot snake (Leptophis ahaetulla) is a non-venomous species that was first described in 1758. The species is found across the Caribbean and South America.

This snake can grow to be over 68 in (almost 6 feet) long. It is distinguished by a brilliant, grass-green body on top and a belly that ranges from light green to white. A stripe extends along the length of the body on some Costa Rican parrot snakes.

They live in forests and woodlands, as well as mangrove swamps. An opportunistic feeder, it usually eats frogs, lizards, and small mammals when available.

While they are generally considered harmless to humans because they don’t have any venomous glands or fangs, they can become aggressive if threatened or handled improperly (so be sure not to touch them!).

 

━ Tips for Caribbean Snake Safety

The snakes of the Caribbean are mostly harmless to humans, but a few can be life-threatening. That’s why it’s important to be aware.

Snakes are important to the ecosystem, but most of them don’t pose a threat to humans. If you ever see a snake on vacation, keep calm and follow these tips:

1. Don’t panic! Most snakes in the Caribbean are harmless and will only bite if they feel threatened or cornered.
2. Observe at arm’s length (or farther).
3. Slowly move away. Do not crowd the snake and give it enough space to move.
4. No unneccesary movements. Make sure that any movement on your part doesn’t startle them unnecessarily so they won’t strike out at you by accident.
5. Prioritize your safety before taking pictures. Avoid as much as possible. Only do so if you know you can do it safely.
6. Lastly, avoid any close interaction at all! Don’t try to handle them or pick them up—just enjoy their beauty from a distance. This should actually self-explanatory, do not try to get any closer and leave them alone!

━ Will I see snakes in the Caribbean? Is it guaranteed?

It’s highly unlikely that you’ll see any snakes while on a Caribbean trip.

However, if you’re dead set on seeing them, you may get in touch with a legitimate wildlife tour operator that specializes in ecotourism. Additionally, it’s possible to witness a few animals kept in captivity such as zoos or wildlife rescue organizations.

Whether you have a snake encounter or not, we hope that you have a great time on your trip and come home safe!

 

━ Bottomline

So there you have it! Snakes of the Caribbean.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this guide to the Caribbean region’s snakes. We hope that it has inspired you to stay safe on your visit and enjoy the beauty of these islands.

Remember: snakes are good for the environment, and we should protect them. But be careful out there! While these snakes may seem harmless, remember that they’re still wild animals.

Now go out there and live your life like a badass adventurer!

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