If you spot a particular, colorful snake in South Florida or elsewhere, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) wants you to snap a picture and report it.
The FWC says it’s searching for the rare and elusive rainbow snake (Farancia erytrogramma), a nonvenomous species whose population has declined in recent decades.
While a subspecies native to southern Florida used to be found in Fisheating Creek in Glades County, sightings there haven’t been documented since 1952.
What does the rainbow snake look like?
“Rainbow snakes are visually striking and difficult to mistake for other species,” the FWC says in its news release.
FWC
FWC The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is asking the public to report sightings of the elusive rainbow snake (Farancia erytrogramma), a nonvenomous species whose population has declined in recent decades.
The reptiles are “iridescent black or violet-blue with three red stripes along their back. Their lip and chin scales are yellow, marked with violet spots, and adults typically reach 3 to 4 feet in length.”
FWC
FWC The FWC says it’s searching for the rare and elusive rainbow snake (Farancia erytrogramma), a nonvenomous species whose population has declined in recent decades.
Where can the rainbow snake be found now?
The nearest known population to South Florida is in Lake County. Rainbow snakes are otherwise found throughout the Panhandle and in parts of the northern peninsula along the St. Marys, St. Johns, and Suwannee river drainages, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.
The reptile is semi-aquatic, and usually found in or near water, including rivers, springs and brackish marshes, where they primarily hunt American eels.
What should I do if I see a rainbow snake?
If you spot a rainbow snake in Florida, you can report your sighting to the FWC online.
“Photographs are especially helpful in confirming sightings and can be included” in your submission, the FWC says.
Why is the FWC searching for rainbow snakes?
Experts want to know more about the health of the species in Florida.
“We need help from Floridians and visitors to better understand where rainbow snakes still occur in the state,” said Kevin Enge, Research Scientist with FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. “Every sighting report gives us valuable data about their current distribution and helps us assess the health of the species in Florida.”
What do rainbow snakes eat, and are they a threat to people or pets?
According to the FWC and the Florida Museum of Natural History, these snakes feed primarily on freshwater American eels, which is why they’re nicknamed the “eel moccasin.”
“Juveniles are known to eat tadpoles and earthworms,” the museum states. “Prey are swallowed alive without constriction.”
The museum says rainbow snakes are not dangerous to people or pets.
Why are there less rainbow snakes in Florida than there once were?
The FWC said the animal’s main food source, the American eel, has also declined in numbers in Florida waters.
“This dependency, along with habitat loss, has contributed to population reductions,” the news release reads.
In other states, snake fugal disease has impacted rainbow snake populations, “raising concerns about the species’ long-term survival.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
