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Project Noah Nature School
Heterodon platyrhinos
probably a 1-2 feet long if it was stretched out! Looks like a very melanistic water moccasin? or some other water snake? The girth was impressive close to one inch diameter.
Narrow raised grass path through the mangrove swamp, edges non-mowed with knee high grasses behind which is full height mangrove and then open marsh, I only spotted this baby as I was trying to see the frogs that were jumping into the marsh from the same general area, now I know why he/she was here! This beauty I nearly stepped on, I was following the leaping frogs at the swamp edge and there this one was, watching me back very intently not moving a muscle the whole time. I decided to takes pictures through the grass.
Merrit Island National Wildlife Sanctuary
You are welcome Ingrid. I almost didn't look it up as I have great respect for Ashley's snake knowledge. Something about the snout in the first picture didn't seem right for a water snake.
I thoguth Ashley had probably got it right until I blew up the first picture to where I could see the shape of the mouth a nd the slightly upturned nose. All the other snakes of the area have rounded upper mouth parts. That led me to think Hognose snake. According to the site in the suggestion box, melanistic (black) Hognosed snakes are common.
This is a water snake (Nerodia sp), and the girth is pretty average for an adult, they are chunky snakes. I can't tell which species it is by these photos, maybe someone else can.
Spotted on Dec 2, 2013
Submitted on Dec 12, 2013
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