TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is asking for the public’s help in documenting a shimmering, yet elusive, reptile.
The rainbow snake is a large, nonvenomous aquatic snake that’s found throughout the Florida Panhandle. Florida Fish and Wildlife (FWC) said the population of the species has declined in recent decades, in part due to dwindling food supply (they primarily eat American eels, which are also declining in population) and habitat loss.
The FWC also has concerns about rainbow snakes and snake fungal disease, a skin infection that has been documented in numerous snake species in the eastern part of the country.
“Every sighting report gives us valuable data about their current distribution and helps us assess the health of the species in Florida,” Kevin Enge, a scientist with FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, said in a quote included in an FWC press release.
As adults, rainbow snakes (Farancia erytrogramma) can reach lengths of up to four feet. Their scales are mostly black and glossy, but they also exhibit three thin red strips running down the length of their bodies, yellow or pink coloring that fades into a red belly, and a yellow chin and throat. They have a pointy scale on the tips of their tails, which is completely harmless.
Rainbow snakes also have a striking iridescent shimmer when viewed under sunlight, which makes them easily recognizable. But they’re also nocturnal and usually stay close to water, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.
Despite their flashy scales, their elusive nature makes it difficult for scientists to study the species and help protect remaining populations.
Florida residents who spot a rainbow snake are being asked to snap a picture, if possible, and report the sighting to FWC.
There also used to be a subspecies of the rainbow snake in Florida — the Southern Florida Rainbow Snake — which was found only in Fisheating Creek in Glades County, but it hasn’t been documented in the area since 1952, and may possibly be extinct.