[Boudicca]

and lets not forget the wild hogs Hey, we got it all, in TV LOL

[chuckinca]

Originally Posted by vette

When they broke ground in the Fruitland Park area, the contractors ran into a ton of black snakes. Usually the contractors kill or move snakes they find. I remember reading a news story that this particular snake was protected by the state and could not be harmed or even relocated. Apparently they are "good snakes" (not a phrase in my vocabulary) because they eat other snakes... even poisonous ones! Wonder if that was what the O P came upon.

Sounds like a Indigo Snake - Federally protected in Florida and Georgia

They are the longest native snake in US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_indigo_snake

.

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by shrandell

We wisely let this 5' snake, play through, at Pelican today.

Once you let them play thru................how was their pace of play??

[Boudicca]

the snake had a white throat and underbelly

[Boudicca]

a google search indicates a black rat snake

[dbussone]

Originally Posted by shrandell

We wisely let this 5' snake, play through, at Pelican today.

Bad move. When you let them play through the first time, they will expect the same treatment thereafter. What a terrible precedent! I can only imagine the backup in the tee box come season.

[John_W]

I believe DonH57 is right, it looks like a black racer. Here's a photo;



From Wikipedia; Coluber constrictor priapus, commonly known as the southern black racer, is one of the more common subspecies of nonvenomous Coluber constrictor snakes in the Southeastern United States. The name priapus refers to the proximal spines of the hemipenes being much enlarged into basal hooks, which is characteristic of this subspecies.

These snakes are quite active during the day, which increases the chance of sightings. They will eat almost any animal they can overpower, including, rodents, frogs, toads, and lizards. They have been known to charge at people in an attempt to frighten them, but will usually retreat if challenged. They are not venomous. Members of this species generally do not tolerate handling – even after months in captivity – and will typically strike and flail wildly every time they are handled, often defecating a foul smelling musk, a common defense against predators in snakes. These snakes are usually thin with a jet black dorsal side with a grey belly and white chin. They are quite fast, giving rise to the name "racer".

[tikigal]

Originally Posted by shrandell

We wisely let this 5' snake, play through, at Pelican today.

what kind of a snake is it? Is it poisonous?

[Boudicca]

Well, it did seem aggressive as it shot across the grass to our cart (we had wisely vacated it). So perhaps it is a Black Racer. It also had that white throat and underbelly. Bit difficult to absolutely convinced as we gave it all the room it wanted...

[CathyandSteveG]

Sounds like you stayed calm cool and collected....you are a braver soul than i am...lol
That would have been my undoing.....i was thinking about taking golf lessons when we finally get to TV...you may have just saved me some money!

[Vic&Judy]

The root of it all :