Creature Awaits #178
Each week I plan to feature an amazing creature, admiring God's fantastic artistry. Hopefully it’ll brighten someone’s day to see something new and interesting if they haven’t seen it before. : )
(Adorable photo above taken by Mehgan Murphy of Smithsonian's National Zoo. Adorable photo below taken by Josh More. (Both are cropped & CC BY-NC-ND 2.0))
The Everglades Rat Snake
Scientific Name: Pantherophis alleghaniensis (subspecies: rossalleni - as far as I can tell..there seems to be some debate on the current scientific name for them...)
Region: Throughout Florida - the majority living in the Everglades
Size: From about 3'-5' (~0.9m-1.5m) long
Interesting Notes: Today we're continuing our Halloween features with a candy corn-colored local snake! Some specimens are more orange than this one, but I couldn't resist the cute composition posted by Smithsonian's National Zoo in 2009. They are non-venomous, and, as you'd imagine being inhabitants of the largest wetland in North America, they are excellent swimmers. Their backs change from brownish with wide bands to bright orange with thin pinstripes as they mature.
