more florida wildlife
This juvenile specimen was discovered observing a small school of fish in a drainage ditch along the edge of Lake Alice here in Gainesville. It was just over a foot in length, and approximately a quarter-inch in thickness. Some have alleged this beast a rat snake, or corn snake - so known because of their propensity to consume rats in barns, and because their coloration provides for excellent camouflage in the original red-colored strains of corn grown in North America. That said, there also exists a possibility that this is the altogether more fierce Florida banded water snake. My favorite herpetologists wished that I had handled the snake in order to obtain better pictures of his ventral scales, dorsal banding patterns, and his skull morphology - so that they might reach a more authoritative conclusion.
I was far too smart to try handling an unknown (and possibly venomous!) organism without good thick gloves on - and besides, I really am more of a "sit back and observe what happens" than a "poke it with a stick and see what happens" kind of scientist. Call me lazy, but I'd prefer for the organism to inadvertently perform the passive experiments itself than for me to force a situation upon the serpent where it must make an active decision about its lifestyle.
I left the snake a good two or three feet for him to feel comfortable in. Even so, he didn't do much more than move his head four or five inches the whole time I was there - he was nervous. Once I got back up out of the ditch and moved back to seven or eight feet, he slithered slowly forward and around the bend of one of those rocks into the undergrowth with increasing acceleration. He wanted to be gone once he thought I was out of grabbing range...
Besides: after being chased by water moccasins in a former life, I felt justified in leaving a few feet for me to feel comfortable and hope that I would have a good running start to get away from any hornked-off snake...