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Have You Seen This Snake? Florida Wants Your Help Finding Rare Species Seen Once In 50 Years
IFL Science ^ | August 22, 2025 | Charlie Haigh

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.


TOPICS: History; Outdoors; Pets/Animals; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: americaneels; camoflage; cryptobiology; eels; fl; florida; floridapanhandle; floridasnake; herpetology; herps; ocala; rainbowsnake; reptiles; stjohnsriver; stmarysriver; suwannee; suwanneeriver

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To: George from New England

I was gonna say...

Rainbow Snake 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈?

Homosexual Enabler
Son of Satan
Barack Hussein Obama?

Obama is definitely a son of
That Old Serpent 🐍
Called the Devil and Satan


21 posted on 08/22/2025 9:02:58 AM PDT by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the Days of Lot; They did Eat, They Drank, They Bought, They Sold ......)
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To: Red Badger

Would make a very nice looking wallet or watch band.


22 posted on 08/22/2025 9:09:19 AM PDT by fso301
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To: V_TWIN; Red Badger

Ditto to your wife V_TWIN!! (I doubt my hubby would kill it, but maybe??)


23 posted on 08/22/2025 9:12:16 AM PDT by FamiliarFace (I got my own way of livin' But everything gets done With a southern accent Where I come from. TPetty)
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To: dfwgator

Haha, pretty much!


24 posted on 08/22/2025 9:12:59 AM PDT by FamiliarFace (I got my own way of livin' But everything gets done With a southern accent Where I come from. TPetty)
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To: Red Badger

You’re on a roll, today, RB! You got me again! 😆


25 posted on 08/22/2025 9:13:54 AM PDT by FamiliarFace (I got my own way of livin' But everything gets done With a southern accent Where I come from. TPetty)
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To: Red Badger

I’m sure they’ll find one over by Alligator Alcatraz so they can shut that down permanently under the endangered species laws.


26 posted on 08/22/2025 9:14:21 AM PDT by thingumbob (INTUITION - is your brain trying to tell you what your mind hasn’t pieced together yet.)
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To: Red Badger

That snake is a beauty. I wouldn’t mind having it around the property.


27 posted on 08/22/2025 9:14:22 AM PDT by Varda
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To: Red Badger

If I remember my science classes correctly, the rainbow snake is harmless to humans but was deadly to unicorns and killed them off to extinction, which resulted in greatly reducing the rainbow snake’s numbers.


28 posted on 08/22/2025 9:35:06 AM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: Red Badger
the rainbow snake?

Check the following Florida cities: St.Pete, Ybor City, Wilton Manor, Key West... 😀

29 posted on 08/22/2025 9:39:02 AM PDT by DeplorableTrumpSupporter (FKA ConservaTeen)
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To: Red Badger

Florida is one giant herpetarium.


30 posted on 08/22/2025 9:50:09 AM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: Red Badger

So, what is causing the decline in the number of eels?


31 posted on 08/22/2025 10:00:38 AM PDT by piasa (Attitude adjustmilents offered here free of charge)
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To: Teacher317

That said, God made us stewards of His creation.


32 posted on 08/22/2025 10:01:58 AM PDT by piasa (Attitude adjustmilents offered here free of charge)
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To: Red Badger

Ask the “Yoink” Guy. He has probably seen several dozen.


33 posted on 08/22/2025 10:04:36 AM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear ( Not my circus. Not my monkeys. But I can pick out the clowns at 100 yards.)
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To: Red Badger

Pythons ate them all.


34 posted on 08/22/2025 10:07:49 AM PDT by left that other site (You Shall Know The Truth, and The Truth Shall Make You Free.)
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To: Red Badger

Probably killed off by the various invasive species in the state. Iguanas, pythons, monitor lizards. I hate to see people kill snakes. They keep pests under control.


35 posted on 08/22/2025 10:08:17 AM PDT by subterfuge (I'm a pure-blood!)
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To: Red Badger

That’s a very colorful nope rope.


36 posted on 08/22/2025 10:11:36 AM PDT by Allegra (Thank you for your attention to this matter. )
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To: Red Badger

Me and my brother actually saw one about 3 feet long when we were kids. It was Near cross city fl. We were trying to figure out if it was real because it looks fake up close but when it moved toward us we RAN! not taking chances with alien looking things.


37 posted on 08/22/2025 10:24:22 AM PDT by Qwapisking ("The left will rue the day they cheated Trump out of the 2020 election forever" L.Star )
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To: Red Badger

That color combination, mainly orange and brown, are so 1970s and outdated. No one wants to be seen in those. No wonder last time it’s seen is in that decade.


38 posted on 08/22/2025 10:26:46 AM PDT by paudio (MATH: 45<47)
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To: Red Badger

The snakes are allegedly attracted to the odors emitted by pubescent teenagers when they try to suppress their sexuality, or repress their desires. If bitten by the snake, its venom blocks their sexual inhibitions and they enter a state of libido frenzy.


39 posted on 08/22/2025 11:01:37 AM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy (If you see "Acheta" protein in a product, know that it has been adulterated with insect protein)
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To: ClearCase_guy
Gay snake

Rainbow snakes are rare, because few of them choose to reproduce themselves.
40 posted on 08/22/2025 11:06:38 AM PDT by Dr. Franklin ("A republic, if you can keep it." )
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