well now, you're sounding all reasonable and understanding. we can't have that on totv:swear:

Great shot!

Black racers are great. But, Florida is home to every type of venomous insect and reptile in the US. While living in Durham NC, my neighbor went out to pick up his Sunday morning newspaper off the lawn and was bit in the foot by a baby copperhead, they apparently are loaded at birth, he had to go to the ER for anti-venom. Recently, an Amazon delivery man in Melbourne FL was sent to the hospital after being bit by a rattler that was resting by the door when he made a delivery. There's a you tube doorbell video of another Amazon deliverer that came across a similar situation. He found a shovel and a rake and took care of it. There is a time for a shovel. Whenever hiking or walking in the south it's extra important to look down.

I can get down to their level easily enough. The problem is trying to get back up again.

I recall hearing awhile back that when in Florida you are never more than 10' from a snake. Maybe in rural Florida swamps this might have some truth to it but not in TV. I've see precisely six snakes in four years here in TV and they were all black racers, though I do remember a guy talking about seeing a Cottonmouth last year near one of the golf course holding ponds.

Common sense is best. Even venomous snakes are not especially dangerous as long as you respect them and don't make them feel threatened.

As well as eating rodents some black snakes also eat rattle snakes. They give me the heebee jeebees but I'm not petrified of them. A mouse on the other hand will send me running.

When we lived in SE Florida I was walking my dog with a friend and her dog. As we walked along the dogs stopped to look down. There were an unbelievable amount of small snakes crossing the road. They were shorter than an earth worm but wider around. If it weren't for the dogs we wouldn't have noticed them. They were just baby black snakes, I think.

My in-laws lived in Vero Beach. My MIL loved to putz in her garden. She was was pulling weeds and trimming growth of plants outside of the lanai/swimming pool. She had a wheelbarrow behind her. She was digging into the ground with a shovel and unearthed a den of black snakes. She didn't turn around but backed up to get away from the snakes and fell into the wheelbarrow, that had prickly, sharp cuttings in it. She wasn't injured, just scared. Can you imagine? I wasn't there when it happened.

Cute and curious.

I see you!

Sure it's all fun and games until they commit suicide in your AC condenser and you have to replace it.

What an interesting coincidence! Glad I saw this hint. Mine were only with a phone, so not the same quality.

Oh wow! That’s awful, both for the snake and your pocketbook!