Florida Wildlife Officials Want Photos of This Extremely Rare ‘Rainbow Snake’
It is a chance for photographers to help out the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) by capturing photos of the elusive rainbow snake.
The population of the nonvenomous species has declined in recent years, with the last confirmed sighting coming in February 2020. The snake has been impacted by habitat loss and declining food source.
“We need help from Floridians and visitors to better understand where rainbow snakes still occur in the state,” says Kevin Enge, Research Scientist with FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, in a press release. “Every sighting report gives us valuable data about their current distribution and helps us assess the health of the species in Florida.”
Rainbow snakes shouldn’t be too hard to spot since, as the name suggests, they are a colorful species often marked by iridescent black or violet blue with three red stripes on their back. Their lip and chin scales are yellow, marked with violet spots, and adults typically reach three to four feet in length.
The FWC says that photographs are particularly useful. Anyone hoping to get a snap of the rare snake should know that the species is usually found in or near water, including rivers, springs, and brackish marshes.
“One south Florida subspecies was historically found in Fisheating Creek in Glades County. That location is more than 150 miles south of the nearest known population in Lake County but hasn’t been documented since 1952,” the FWC adds.
To submit a sighting, including any photographs, navigate to this FWC form where all of the details, including coordinates, can be inputted.
Snakes are not everyone’s favorite animal but they can be amazing subjects. Photographer Marisa Ishimatsu traveled to Namibia to capture magnificent photos of a Peringuey’s adder which are perfectly adapted to hide themselves in the soft sands of the Namibian desert.
In an article for PetaPixel a few years back, Australian snake photographers Chris Hay and Christina N. Zdenek wrote that picturing snakes is no easy task.
“Apart from wild weather, long hours, biting insects, and lack of sleep, there’s one final hurdle to overcome: actually finding the elusive reptiles. Australia’s snakes, for instance, usually flee when they hear humans, and they’re very good at hiding.”
