The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee has obtained at the very least a dozen credible rainbow snake sightings because it sought the general public’s help in documenting the elusive reptiles.
FWC analysis scientist Kevin Enge instructed USA TODAY over e-mail on Friday, Aug. 22, that the fee obtained roughly 30 experiences since its information launch was put out. Nonetheless, out of these, solely 12 had been credible, and solely eight had photographs that allowed affirmation of the species. Enge mentioned extra experiences had been additionally obtained, however they “weren’t rainbow snakes based mostly on photographs, descriptions, or areas.”
Whereas two experiences had been of rainbow snakes on the identical driveway at evening in a brand new subdivision in Yulee, Nassau County, albeit in several months, three different experiences had been from Wakulla County, with one in every of them being on the spring-fed Wakulla River boat launch on U.S. Hwy 98, a FWC environmental DNA sampling website.
Enge mentioned probably the most fascinating rainbow snake sighting was below a ship motor on a sand bar on the decrease Ochlockonee River, close to Sopchoppy, about 35 miles south of Tallahassee.
One other sighting occurred in a small tributary of the Escambia River close to Century in Escambia County, about 200 miles west of Tallahassee. Florida resident Roy Gebhard noticed the snake at a bridge crossing, which additionally occurs to be a preferred celebration spot, prompting him to maneuver it downstream away from individuals, he instructed FWC.
Gebhard famous the animal didn’t try to chunk him and was probably trying to find eels within the space.
See footage of rainbow snake sightings in Florida
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Are rainbow snakes below menace?
The elusive rainbow snake, scientifically often known as Farancia erytrogramma, is a nonvenomous species whose inhabitants has declined in current a long time, in line with the FWC. Their populations have been affected by habitat loss and declining meals sources. Rainbow snakes primarily feed on American eels, a prey species that has additionally declined in Florida waters as a result of overfishing and dams, in line with the wildlife fee.
Enge instructed USA TODAY the frequent rainbow snake is discovered alongside streams and in tidal marshes within the Coastal Plain from southeastern Maryland to southeastern Louisiana. The snake is domestically frequent in some streams from Virginia to Georgia alongside the Atlantic. Nonetheless, snakes within the northern a part of their vary have been dying from snake fungal illness, elevating considerations concerning the species’ long-term survival.
The rainbow snake was formally final documented in 2020, FWC spokesperson Jonathan Veach instructed USA TODAY on Aug. 18. Nonetheless, Veach added that different rainbow snake sightings in Florida since 2020 had been doable, however both “weren’t reported, or we by no means realized of them.”
Rainbow snake
Rainbow snake options
With brilliant and colourful scales, rainbow snakes are visually putting and may simply be recognized. They’re often an iridescent black or violet-blue and have three crimson stripes alongside their again, with their lip and chin scales yellow, marked with violet spots, in line with the fee. Grownup snakes sometimes attain 3 to 4 toes in size.
These semiaquatic reptiles are often “present in or close to water, together with rivers, springs and brackish marshes,” the fee says, including {that a} south Florida subspecies was traditionally present in Fisheating Creek in Glades County, greater than 150 miles south of the closest identified inhabitants in Lake County. Nonetheless, that species has not been documented since 1952, and researchers are hoping to substantiate their existence.
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The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee is looking for the general public’s help in documenting the tremendous uncommon rainbow snake, final noticed in February 2020.
The best way to report a rainbow snake sighting
Enge mentioned that whereas rainbow snake sightings are typically posted on social media, “There was no earlier effort to solicit sightings from the general public.”
“Scientists not often discover rainbow snakes in Florida, however there are lots of people fishing, boating, and swimming in our streams that may function our eyes,” Enge mentioned. “We want assist from Floridians and guests to higher perceive the place rainbow snakes nonetheless happen within the state. Each sighting report offers us invaluable knowledge about their present distribution and helps us assess the well being of the species in Florida.”
Rainbow snakes are extremely secretive and are not often seen. They’ll often be discovered crossing roads between our bodies of water, often on wet nights, in line with the College of Florida’s Florida Museum.
“Swimmers and divers often report seeing them slowly crawling alongside the underside of clear, spring-fed rivers,” the museum mentioned.
The FWC is requesting those that spot a rainbow snake to report the sighting to the fee on-line.
“Pictures are particularly useful in confirming sightings and might be included while you submit your sighting on-line,” the fee mentioned. “By sharing sightings, the general public can play an essential function in conserving this distinctive species.”
How many individuals are bitten by snakes per 12 months?
Whereas rainbow snakes usually are not venomous, snake bites usually are not unusual in the USA, with roughly 7,000 to eight,000 individuals bitten by venomous snakes throughout the nation yearly, in line with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.
About 5 individuals die from venomous snake bites in the USA every year, the CDC says, warning that the quantity could be larger if these bitten didn’t search medical therapy.
Saman Shafiq is a trending information reporter for USA TODAY. Attain her at sshafiq@gannett.com and observe her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This text initially appeared on USA TODAY: See footage of Florida’s secretive, uncommon rainbow snake
