Herpetofauna - One Life's List

Florida Pine Snake
Pituophis melonoleucus mugitus

Jasper Co., South Carolina. May 27th, 2000.
 
We could see the snake crossing the road, crawling away from a large tract in the process of being logged. Another car was already off the road, but we quickly stopped and got it off the road.  The man in the car on the roadside was getting out a pistol to 'cap that snake'.  We had arrived just in time!

What a beautiful Pine Snake!  I especially love the way the head is colored.  I have a weakness for Florida Pines, having raised several up from hatchlings many years ago.  The area we were in was good habitat, with a lot of pine woods featuring loose, sandy soil.

It was a nice find, and a nice save, too.  The man wasn't too upset that he didn't get to kill the snake; after talking to him, it seemed like he thought it was just something that needed to be done.  It's hard for me to understand that.

 
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