Posted on 08/22/2025 8:43:35 AM PDT by Red Badger
Despite its distinctive and bright markings, the rainbow snake has been spotted only once in Florida in the last 56 years.
Any information regarding rainbow snake populations are vital for conservation efforts.
Image credit: Marioxramos / Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Florida wildlife officials are turning to the public to help locate one of the state’s most elusive reptiles, the rainbow snake (Farancia erytrogramma). This distinctive, nonvenomous species has seen its population steadily decline, with only one sighting recorded since 1969, which has left biologists scrambling to piece together clues about its current whereabouts.
Last seen in February 2020 by hiker Tracey Cauthen in the Ocala National Forest, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is once again asking locals and people visiting the area to keep their eyes peeled for signs of this incredibly flashy snake.
With an iridescent black or violet-blue body, a bright yellow and red underside, and three distinctive red stripes along its back, it’s surprising the species is so rarely seen. They typically reach 90 to 122 centimeters (3 to 4 feet) in length and don’t resemble any other native snake species. They’re semi-aquatic, so are expected to be seen around bodies of water, including rivers, springs, and marshes.
“Every sighting report gives us valuable data about their current distribution and helps us assess the health of the species in Florida,” said Kevin Enge, Research Scientist with FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. “We need help from Floridians and visitors to better understand where rainbow snakes still occur in the state.”
The lack of sightings comes as a result of several factors driving the rainbow snake’s population decline in Florida. Feeding primarily on American eels, the decline in eel populations in Florida waters is affecting available food sources for the rainbow snake. Additionally, habitat loss and pollution are impacting the snake’s ability to survive in their native habitats throughout the Florida Panhandle, parts of the northern peninsula along the St. Marys River drainage, St. Johns River drainage, and Suwannee River drainage.
Officials have also noted the threat from snake fungal disease, a deadly fungal infection that causes lesions on the snake’s skin. Snake fungal disease is increasing rapidly among the wild snake population in the US, putting the rare rainbow snake and many other threatened snake species at risk.
Because rainbow snakes are so elusive, every bit of potential data helps. Photos, location, and the date of a sighting all contribute to building a clearer picture of the species' status. This data is crucial for mapping current populations, monitoring their health, and guiding conservation efforts.
The FWC is asking anyone who thinks they’ve seen a rainbow snake to report it via its website, ideally including a photo for verification. Even reports that seem minor could reveal vital information about habitat spread or small, overlooked populations.
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Ping!...............
If my wife sees it she will kill it immediately...................
Salamander! Your pet has escaped again!
Good way to get property made off limits.
Hay look here I have a endangered species on my place.
No thanks
Pretty. It comes in colors everywhere, can't comb its hair.
The only way I would report one is if it was on someone else’s property, far away from mine.
Dont lgbtq laws already protect it ?
Gay snake
If my wife sees it she will want ME to kill it immediately. 😏
Plenty of species disappear every single year, and have been doing so for millions of years. If we never see THAT particular combination of colors and stripes in person ever again, life on the planet will not crumble. Civilizations will not fall. Biomes will not explode. Climates will not shift.
No, haven’t seen it.... and sincerely hope to keep it that way.
Looks like it’s got FSU colors.
Nature abhors a vacuum.
It will fill that niche with something else..................
It’s only a semi-’nole..................
Carlin was right!
“See, I’m not one of these people who’s worried about everything. You got people like this around you? Countries full of them now: people walking around all day long, every minute of the day, worried… about everything! Worried about the air; worried about the water; worried about the soil; worried about insecticides, pesticides, food additives, carcinogens; worried about radon gas; worried about asbestos; worried about saving endangered species.
Let me tell you about endangered species all right? Saving endangered species is just one more arrogant attempt by humans to control nature. It’s arrogant meddling; it’s what got us in trouble in the first place. Doesn’t anybody understand that? Interfering with nature. Over 90% – over, WAY over – 90% of all the species that have ever lived on this planet, ever lived, are gone! Pwwt! They’re extinct! We didn’t kill them all, they just disappeared. That’s what nature does. They disappear these days at the rate of 25 a day and I mean regardless of our behaviour.
Irrespective of how we act on this planet, 25 species that were here today will be gone tomorrow. Let them go gracefully. Leave nature alone. Haven’t we done enough?”
beautiful snake....always wanted one.
The rainbow community has a new mascot.
Sure is a pretty little noodle.
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