American hiker finds rare species of "rainbow snake" disappearing for more than 50 years
Overseas Network, February 23, Recently, a hiker in Florida, the United States, found a rare "rainbow snake" and took photos. Experts said that the snake "disappeared" locally for more than 50 years and is a rare species. It is non-toxic.
According to CNN, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute posted on Facebook that a woman named Tracy Conson was about 47 north of Orlando. A 4-foot (approximately 1.2-meter) colored snake was found during a mile hike in the Ocala National Forest.
The Florida Museum of Natural History confirmed to the institute that this was the first time the species was found in Marion County since 1969, and said the snake was non-toxic and harmless.
According to the institute, "'Rainbow Snakes' are highly aquatic animals, hidden in aquatic plants for a long time, and because of their mysterious habit, they are rarely seen even by herpetologists."
According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, the average length of an adult "rainbow snake" is about 3.5 feet (about 1 meter), and the longest can reach 5.5 feet (about 1.6 meters). Biologists have speculated that the snake, also known as the "eel moccasin," slipped into the forest after a recent change in the water level at Rodman Reservoir. (Overseas Network-USA-Qiao Shanshan Intern Compilation-Wu Zhimin)