I Saw A Snake!

[jazznms]

Although 45 species of snakes are found in Florida, only the 6 listed here are venomous and a danger to humans—see Checklist of Florida Amphibians and Reptiles. The remaining 39 species (and 41 subspecies) are harmless and should be protected for the beneficial role they play in natural ecosytems, eating insects, rodents, rabbits, and other small prey. If you are interested in all of our snakes, then you should visit our 'Online Guide to the Snakes of Florida'.

A word of caution is warranted here. If you find a snake and you do not know whether or not it is venomous, the safest thing to do is leave it alone. Florida snakes are not aggressive and, unless they are cornered, most will flee when humans approach. Occasionally, you might encounter one that is reluctant to leave because it is basking in the sun to get warm. Among snakebite victims, an unacceptably high number are bitten on the hands and arms when they are handling the snake. Do not catch a snake and do not handle one unless you are sure it is not venomous. In addition, for a short time after a snake is killed, its reflexes may continue to work. Those reflexes typically cause the body to writhe slowly for awhile, but they can cause a convulsive contraction and a bite, so you should not handle a freshly killed venomous snake. Our 'Online Guide to the Snakes of Florida' contains a 'Key to Identification' which will identify any Florida snake you might find and tell you whether it is vemonous or harmless.

 

[dgaston]

In 25+ visits to WDW, I have only two snake sitings. One (probably a black racer) was being removed from TL. The other siting involve two black racers along the pathway to the Conservation Station, just at a CM entrance. The snakes were mating and a huge crowd gathered to watch. Somehow seemed fitting it was at AK.

Two older alligator sitings -- the one that used to live in Frontierland near the turkey leg stand, and of course the one in the canal at the Beach Club Villas. CMs said they remove them when they get bigger, and the ducks start disappearing.

One rat (dead) on the board walkway next to the waterway in Frontierland during MNSSHP. Guess that why there are snakes too! Circle of Life thing.

 

[goofyforlife]

Is there really someone out there who has had a snake in their room? I have requested ground floor at POR because of some in our party with difficulty with steps and that is the last thing I want to meet in my room. I know it could always be a slight possibility, but has anyone really ever gotten one in their room?

Back when i was in HS, (cough cough 1989) my family stayed at the Treehouse villas. My Dsis and i were sharing the bedrooom on the ground floor.

We checked in.

Later that day..Mom spotted one of those black snakes in our room.....

Eww.... a call to maintenance proved futile...They said ahhhh they come in through the dryer vents all the time....

Needless to say we slept upstairs that night. Mom was on the phone to guest services next morning and the rest of the trip we stayed in connecting rooms at the Poly.

 

[ducklite]

I am TERRIFIED of snakes!!!! I HTE HATE HATE them!

That said, I've got a couple black ones in my yard and I've decided that maybe they are OK as long as they keep their distance--because they eat things that I hate even more than snakes.

OTOH, my next door neighbor and I *discovered* a snake hiding in a covered water cut-off that was very possibly poisonous--we didn't hang around long enough to find out. The neighbors across the street came out when they saw me standing on their porch bench. The neighborhood is still having a good chuckle about that one! (The the next door neighbor ran into his house and slammed the door shut!)

And I have seen several snakes at WDW over the years.

Anne

 

[Judy from Boise]

I have seen lots of gators, especially when staying at SOG, saw two snakes, both at DL.

If you are afraid enough of snakes that it effects your enjoyment of a vacation, or makes you physically ill, I would consider profession desensitazation therapy.Not a knock at you, just couldn't be very fun going through life that way.

 

[Virgo10]

*Disclaimer* I know next to nothing about the snakes found in Florida but chances are the black snake you saw was a black racer.

*WARNING... Photos*

I found this one right up against our front door last March. I've seen others that were at least 4 feet long and they can grow up to 5+ feet. The good news is they are NON venomous and they eat bugs.

Here's an interesting blurb about them:

Black racers are nervous, irritable and fast-moving. When given a chance to escape, they generally do so very quickly. However, racers, especially juveniles, will not hesitate to bite when cornered. They also vibrate their tails when they feel threatened, causing some people to mistake them for rattlesnakes.

Unlike many snakes, the black racer hunts actively during daylight hours, one reason why they are frequently noticed. The eyes, with their rich, chestnut-brown irises, are large in relation to its head, betraying the racer's keen vision.

Part of the racer's success is due to its wide diet; they have been referred to as "slithering garbage pails." Racers capture a tremendous variety of animals, including other snakes, lizards, frogs, birds, rodents and insects. While hunting in open areas, the racer often raises its head high above the ground, cobra-style, to survey its surroundings better.

Personally, I'd rather have 100 of these around my house than one flippin mosquito!

 

[Lunchlady]

August 2005 we were coming out of HM one night and someone said snake.Well I looked down and it was right between my feet.You just don't know how loud I screamed and of course my family was laughing so hard.The guys from HM were saying "be gone,be gone little snake "while staying so cool.I could have handled seeing it at a distance but it was between my feet! My daughter never will forget that night.

 

[Feralpeg]

I'm much more concerned about the spiders in Florida than the snakes. Since I've lived in Florida (will be 3 years at the end of May). I've found 3 black widow spiders (at different times and different places around my house) and 1 scorpion. Yuck!

 

[BelleBoo&AmisMum]

I'm much more concerned about the spiders in Florida than the snakes. Since I've lived in Florida (will be 3 years at the end of May). I've found 3 black widow spiders (at different times and different places around my house) and 1 scorpion. Yuck!

Oh mylanta are you kidding me!??!

We leave in five weeks and my skin is crawling......ick!

 

[Southern4sure]

I cant watch the Croc Hunter (RIP) when he does his show, I absolutley dont watch the "educational shows" about the slithering beasts....

And you know that movie SNAKES ON A PLANE? uh....NO THANK YOU! I cant even watch the TV commercials. hubby wants to rent it, so I politely told him I would let him have the livingroom DVD/Surround sound so he could watch it, and I would go put in a Disney Movie in our bedroom with the door SHUT, LOCKED, LATCHED AND A TOWEL TO COVER THE HOLE AT THE BOTTOM TO KEEP THE SNAKES OUT.


Its just a snake? NAW. ITS A SNAKE. PERIOD.

You just described me.....I can not..will not...and flat refuse to go into the reptile part of the any zoo and such. No TV, no books/magazines....I do not want to see them in any form dead or alive. I have a snake dance/shout when I do come across one.....DH thinks it is hilarious.....

I did take this pic last Saturday. The pond across the street has several alligators.

 

[We4mickey]

We've seen many small snakes at FW. We saw a large black snake at Blizzard Beach slither under our chairs and into the bushes YUCK! We have also seen an alligator in different canals around the area. The latest was last April in the canal that goes through the middle of FW. This is where you can rent canoes and paddle boats. YIKES!

 

[brerrabbit]

Not at WDW but swimming around my boat. By the way if you see one of these go the other way, fast.



http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=3633&sort=2&size=medium&cat=500&page=1

 

[lucas]

November 06 we saw a gator in the water by the Flame Tree BBQ at AK. It was right where the tables over look the water. It swam right over to the table area and looked like he was waiting for someone to throw it some food. We later told a CM who didn't seem to believe us. She wanted to know if it was a real one or not!! Believe me, it was real!!

 

[Mickey527]

A few years ago I was staying at BCV with some of my family. My adult sons and DIL did not want to stay with the "old folks" so I booked them into OKW. These are the same adults who got water guns to squirt each other and some of the unsuspecting guests who got in their way. They had a 2 bedroom on the 1st floor. There is a good 1" space between the door and the floor at most rooms in OKW and some rooms do not have the rubber edging to keep drafts out (snakes either)
While my DIL was cooking bfst in crawled a black snake from the front door. It had crawled under the door and into the kitchen. She screamed and I don't know how but she jumped up onto the island where the TV is stored.
My son's then all got their water guns and chased the snake out the then opened door.
They wanted to move so OKW was great about it and gave them a 3rd floor room and helped them move their stuff. Maintenance also put those rubber edge things on the doors to prevent another uninvited guest in.
I have seen alligators at BCV and CSR but at no other resorts. I have never seen those little anoles in rooms though, and would freak out if I did.
I remember many years ago when I went to St Crois, we stayed in a Time share and they had no windows, only shutters. And all the walls and ceilings were that textured stuff, great for bugs and stuff to hang onto. I got into bed the first night and looked up and there were anoles all over the ceiling. I don't think I slept the entire week, I was so afraid that one of those things would fall off the ceiling or crawl on me.
But I never saw one bug the entire week stay. Peggie

 

[cottontail]

Hi:

Brerrabbit, looked at your photo of the rattle snakes. yikes. Are there alot of them where you live? I can say I have never seen that many rattle snakes or any kind of snake at one time.

Deb.

 

[CourtasanSatine]

Just on a dvd of Snakes on a Plane, no WDW sightings so far

 

[daughter_of_amid_chaos]

I remember many years ago when I went to St Crois, we stayed in a Time share and they had no windows, only shutters. And all the walls and ceilings were that textured stuff, great for bugs and stuff to hang onto. I got into bed the first night and looked up and there were anoles all over the ceiling. I don't think I slept the entire week, I was so afraid that one of those things would fall off the ceiling or crawl on me.
But I never saw one bug the entire week stay. Peggie

When my family lived in St. Croix our cats used to eat the anoles and leave the tails behind. So we found out a lot of lizard tails

Now I hate snakes but I got a kick out of watching the little lizards all along the sidewalks at OKW when we were there for Christmas. They were so cute!

 

[irishbosoxfan]

I am not a creepy crawly kinda person---If you see a fairly good sized woman freaking out at WDW it is probably me after encountering some vile beast!!

I hate rats and spiders and scorpions and snakes and bats and...you get the idea!!
When I was a teenager a rat feel out of a bathroom closet onto my chest and held on while I screamed bloody murder another time one practically chased me down the street and it was as big as a dog.

When we lived in Oklahoma they had scorpions and tarantulas--well the tarantulas would move around--One time we were driving down the highway and there they were--so many of them you could barely see the road and the sound they made--I will never forget.

We had 2 scorpions in our house in December that year.

We moved to KS and had bats in our basement which could fit thru tiny cracks and get into the house

I have been terrorized by creepy crawlies and hope to never encounter any while in my happy place

 

[lucas]

Not at WDW but swimming around my boat. By the way if you see one of these go the other way, fast.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=3633&sort=2&size=medium&cat=500&page=1

OMG!!!!! You have got to be kidding me!!
That snake swimming is HUGE!!!!!

And, were all those rattlers found at the same time?

 

[nativetxn]

So, now I will never stay at POR. ICK!!!