Bummer of a herpin day....

It began Friday morning. I was going to a jobsite in a remote area of Polk County, outside of Lake Wales. On the way in I saw a huge DOR snake and decided I would stop on the way out... and I did. I started going through the inventory in head to identify this snake.
First off it was huge. The head was coiled toward the body in two loops probably a reaction to being hit. The tail also was coiled toward the middle of the snake for about two feet. I estimate the snake to have been 6 and a half to 7ft. in length.
So what gets that big in Florida? It was twisted and turned there and about but I could see belly scales, good portion of the side and the back portion of the head even though it was smashed. It was a drab olive/yellowish color with no pattern.
A giant Yellow Rat? No pattern/stripes. Scales to big and smooth. Let out a Florida Pine as well. A Coachwhip? Maybe. But the scales were so big I actually considered and escaped cobra for a time. The scales on the head were HUGE, The scales on the body were huge. It bothered me so much I went back this morning and snapped few shots.

There wasn't much left today....

Friday you cloud see belly scales and everything. I'm sure it was a Coachwhip. The bummer of it is not getting to see or rescue a snake of that size.
In this last pic you can see what is left of the snake in the foreground as it has been hit a few times and is now curled more toward one way. But you can see the stain on the road where it started out.

A little up the road....

we found this guy or gal. It pains me to see this kinda stuff. Maybe we should plan a herpin trip tp the area and catch what we can.

There was a happy ending however....

we found this little guy trying to cross the road, scooped him up, and relocated him up the road to a remote area of the Peace River.

Maybe the first one was a Burm? thats looks like a fairly large head.. ???

Regards.. Tim of T and J

Hi Cflaguy,
What a disturbing day. Sorry about that. The alligator snapper looks ginormous. The poor thing must have been super old. How big was it and how do you think it died?

Ok...I should have stared at the photo more before replying. I see it was run over like that poor snake. I’m glad you saved the little dude.

I sure hope that was a coachwhip and NOT an indigo!!!

An Indigo crossed my mind...

MohrSnakes said:

I sure hope that was a coachwhip and NOT an indigo!!!

Click to expand...

Jeff but Friday morning when it was a bit fresher it clearly was an olive/yellowish color. I did consider it due the size and what a bummer it would have been losing a color morph if it had been.

Crikey that is a Florida Snapper. Don't get as big as Alligators but that one was good size for a Florida. About a foot and a half.

Sorry...my bad...we don't have either up here in MA. It fooled me because I couldn't see it's poor face. I've rescued so many Commons up here and they look slightly different from FST. I would love to come down to FL and see a FST in person, especially an AST someday. THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!:crazy02:

At first glance of the squashed snake I thought eastern diamond back. But if you found no rattles and no fangs, Maybe a pine snake... It is awful thick to be a coachwhip(but then again I am not there. And is it me or did it look like the snake was way off to the side of the lane... I think someone saw it and hit it on purpose???? hmmmmm