Also called the southern pine
snake.
Florida pine snakes are highly
variable. They can be patterned or
non-patterned. Their coloration and also be
light or dark earth tones and the contrast can vary as well. In captivity, there are other variants that
include amelanistic and leucistic individuals that are sold under a variety of names.
These impressive serpents are found in
open sandy areas, abandoned fields, and longleaf pine forests, as well as some oak
forests. They are reported to spend about
85% of their time underground. This
illustrates why many people never see one in the wild.
They occupy burrows made by other animals such as gopher tortoises Gopherus polyphemus,
and pocket gophers, which are preyed upon by the pine snakes. Other prey items include mice, rats, small
rabbits, and even ground dwelling birds such as quail.
These snakes can be quite impressive,
especially a wild caught individual. Typical
af most pine snakes, Florida pine snakes will usually raise the anterior portion of the
body and loosely coil up and hiss very loudly while preparing to strike. They will strike very quickly to scare off a
predator. Hissing is usually al it takes to
scare off most people. Occasionally, a placid
individual will be found. Sometimes wild pine
snakes will calm down much the same way that a rat snake or kingsnake will.
Florida pine snakes lay about 7 or 8
eggs that are quite large, ranging from 70 to 105mm in length and weighing around
100grams.
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