Snakes

[FanOfStitch]

Just a word of warning, always look down as your walk. Just got back from an 8 day stay at Saratoga Springs and had an excellent time. As I was walking to the bus stop one morning, I got the urge to look down. Fortunately I did as there was a 3 to 4 foot black snake getting ready to bite me. Wasn't really his fault as I was about to step on him. Of course, I screamed, jumped up and ran to the bus stop with everyone looking at me like I was nuts. By the time I looked back, the snake was gone.

I talked to my aunt who knows a snake expert and we've determined that it was probably a black racer (non-poisonous). I guess they're feisty but usually stay away from humans. My son and I noticed a lot of toads around the resort at night and figured the snake found dinner and was hanging around.

Needless to say, I looked down no matter where I was walking for the rest of our stay.

 

[Robo]

...........Why did it have to be SNAKES!?!




.

 

[LovinPooh]

Nothing like a snake to make you aware of your surroundings lol.
Glad no one was bit

 

[Ametista]

I wonder what species it is. Last year we stayed at Indian Rocks Beach and I took this photo of us walking across the little wooden walkway to the beach because I like photos of walkways, stairwells, doorways, etc. I got home and looked through all my photos and in that photo there was a black snake slithering across the wooden walkway! I didn't even see it when I took the picture because believe me I would have said something. It was about 5 feet long, no idea what species it was, but maybe the same as what you saw?

 

[serenitygr]

Here's hoping it doesnt' find it's way to Space Mountain!

 

[Cheshire Figment]

A couple of years ago we had a two foot black snake decide that it wanted to go from the wooded area to the right of the turnstiles to the wooded area near the Guest Services building. In its prerogative as a contractor to provide entertainment to Disney Guests it decided that the best entertainment would be to take the most direct route so it would be seen by a maximum number of Guests.

I realized it was non-poisonous but still kept the Guests away from him. There was one girl, about three years old, that was very interested in the snake, and I made it a point to keep warning her to stay away from him.

Just before the snake went into the wooded area she darted forward and picked up the snake in the middle to look at him closely. After a few seconds she realized she was holding a snake and freaked out; tossing the snake into the woods and ran screaming/crying to her mother and held her mother tightly around her leg. Many people, including her mother, were laughing.

 

[MK4ever]

Ran into a snake on Tom Sawyer's Island one year. Have not gone back to the island since!

 

[Bagheera23608]

You seem to have handled the situation admirably. black racers are common, but so are black rat snakes. The black rat has a white underbelly. Now, I'm guessing you didn't get a good view of his belly, lol. But both are harmless to humans and beneficial to have around, especially with all the complaints I keep reading about rats! Poor thing had prolly nearly been stepped on a half dozen times already that morning and you were the last straw. Glad to hear all involved got out unharmed.

 

[Sandy Fisher]

Bagheera almost certainly got it right. Black racers in FL are as common as blacksnakes are anywhere in the northeast. They don't bother anyone unless cornered and that's just a reflex protective action.
We had them in the shrubbery all the time around the house when we lived down there. They liked to stretch out on the tops of the bushes and wait for unsuspecting frogs, lizards, etc.
I happen to like the frogs and lizards so I chased them away. They ARE protected and you aren't supposed to harm them.
That said, I was surprised by a couple of them that were in places I didn't expect while I was pulling weeds!!!
Snakes in FL are part of the landscape and you really do need to pay attention to where you're walking.

 

[DisneyDetective]

Phew, I'm a DVC member at Saratoga and never saw a snake yet however I'm glad I know they are about.

 

[2Tiggies]

A In its prerogative as a contractor to provide entertainment to Disney Guests it decided that the best entertainment would be to take the most direct route so it would be seen by a maximum number of Guests.

We have seen plenty of them at POFQ, all black racers. We stick to the rules of staying on the paths, not sticking hands into bushes or shrubs or long grass and just keep an eye on the ground in front of and around us. It's about the best you can do. They are all over. Just because you dont see them doesn't mean they are not there.

Glad nothing bad happened OP. I do know from experience that those unexpected counters can give a nasty scare.

 

[TreeSapp]

We haven't seen any snakes yet but each visit to scope out a hotel seems to being us a new view of 'nature'. All Star hotela almost always have bunnies hanging around, polynesian we often see turkeys. At Wilderness lodge we watched a white heron swallow a frog (kinda freaky cause you could practically see the frog shape slide down his neck). At French Quarter a hawk darted right in front of us while in the parking lot and flew off with a tasty furry snack. DH says it was Mickey Mouse, but I'm skeptical

 

[LovinPooh]

I saw a 4' black snake at pofq too. It went from pool area to the shrubs in front of a room. I was happy to be on 2nd floor at that point lol.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

Here's hoping it doesnt' find it's way to Space Mountain!

The Disney version of Godwin's Law.

 

[PrettyFlower2]

Well, at least it didn't drop down on you from the ceiling at Space Mountain...

 

[DakotaRose]

Last September there seemed to be geckos all over at POFQ and Grand Floridian. This September, not even one tenth the gecko sightings. In my paranoid brain, I suspected snakes were eating them like French fries. Yikes.

 

[surferdave]

Aw man......I miss all the good rare character sightings.

 

[LilyWDW]

I saw a 4' black snake at pofq too. It went from pool area to the shrubs in front of a room. I was happy to be on 2nd floor at that point lol.

They can climb. Being on a higher floor does not mean you are safe from visitations.

 

[Jacie]

Well, at least it didn't drop down on you from the ceiling at Space Mountain...

 

[Chief Powhatan]

Well, at least it didn't drop down on you from the ceiling at Space Mountain...

... and bite your groin!