KEY LARGO, Fla. — Researchers in Florida shared a photo of a rare snake in a Florida park that apparently died while eating a giant centipede.
The photo, shared on Facebook by the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, shows a rim rock crowned snake on a rock at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, Florida. The post says a visitor to the park found the dead snake on the trail with a centipede in its mouth, and “this specimen represents the first food record of any kind for the little-known rim rock species.”
Rare snake found at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, that died while eating a large centipede! The...
Posted by FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute on Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Rim rock crowned snakes are non-venomous and are typically between 6 and 9 inches long, according to the Johnson Lab at the University of Florida. The animals are found only along the southeastern coast of Florida and the Keys and spend most of their time underground.
Researchers with the Fish and Wildlife Commission said that crown snakes are typically immune to the venom in centipedes, but in this case, something likely went wrong.
The snake and the centipede will be sent to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s collection, WFLA reported.
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