Whats the scoop on the DVC snakes we see?

[Brenle]

Saw plenty of creatures staying at SSR: sea otters, lizards, bunnies and many different bird species.

However, while in line at the Haunted Mansion, from our right something came slithering in the grass, then down the wall right in front of my family. You guessed it. Four foot long black snake, crossing the path of my friend who screamed her head off. I think she scared it and off it went.

 

[SunnieRN]

I'm a city girl....I am afraid of worms

lol me too....
Has anyone at disneyworld ever been attacked by an alligator?

 

[DisneyWalker44]

I figure any animal who can strike accurately enough to always hit a finger (and usually the tip of the finger) is a deadly beast!

Or that's the part of the body people are poking the snake with.

I remember reading a report from Texas. Of the over 200 venomous snake bites recorded in a year, all but 2 were "ARI" (alcohol related incidents).

 

[DVC Jen]

this was taken one night about 11pm on the sidewalk leading from the villas pool to the back entrance at VWL June 2007.

At the time since it was dark and the path was not well lit I thought it was just a huge "fishing" worm. I took this photo to tease my oldest DD whom is scared of any kind of "bug". It wasn't until I got home and went through my photos that I realized that "worm" was a snake. I am terrified of snakes - so I was pretty wigged out.

 

[jndmommy]

this was taken one night about 11pm on the sidewalk leading from the villas pool to the back entrance at VWL June 2007.

At the time since it was dark and the path was not well lit I thought it was just a huge "fishing" worm. I took this photo to tease my oldest DD whom is scared of any kind of "bug". It wasn't until I got home and went through my photos that I realized that "worm" was a snake. I am terrified of snakes - so I was pretty wigged out.

Yikes!!! I'd be running like Forest Gump if I saw that...

 

[bobbiwoz]

JimMIA!!! What kind of snake it that?

Bobbi

 

[SusieBea]

ON our last trip (August) to OKW we had a small 6 inch black snake in one of the bathrooms (2 br). The cast member who came to remove the snake brought a cloth sack and a long rod with a loop of wire at the end. He picked up the snske with the sack .

Several years ago, we were sitting on the curb outside Casey's in the MK waiting for Spectromagic to begin. There began to be a commotion a couple of families down from us, people jumping up, etc. We looked that direction to see a snake slither out from among the crowd into the middle of the street. VERY quickly there were several CMs corralling it into one area in the street and then the Man with the Stick and a Sack appeared and removed it. Needless to say, we didn't sit back down to watch the parade.

 

[JimMIA]

JimMIA!!! What kind of snake it that?

Bobbi

Looks like a dead mud snake to me. Nonvenomous, pretty common, harmless.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Ok...so it's upside down...the red is the belly? Thanks!
Bobbi

 

[zackiedawg]

Ok...so it's upside down...the red is the belly? Thanks!
Bobbi

That one is actually a southern ringneck snake...he is upside down. Looks like someone smashed the head. Very common in Florida. It's considered one of the least aggressive snakes in the US - it almost never bites or attacks, and has such tiny teeth and mouth that a bite can't break skin on the rare occasion it did bite. They mostly eat worms and slugs - they are quite small even full grown - 1 foot or less usually.

 

[bobbiwoz]

That one is actually a southern ringneck snake...he is upside down. Looks like someone smashed the head. Very common in Florida. It's considered one of the least aggressive snakes in the US - it almost never bites or attacks, and has such tiny teeth and mouth that a bite can't break skin on the rare occasion it did bite. They mostly eat worms and slugs - they are quite small even full grown - 1 foot or less usually.

You've made me feel sad that it was killed. It is hard for people to be tolerant of snakes, but I do try.

Bobbi

PS. I found a website with more of them
http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/jd/jdweb/Herps/species/USsnakes/diapunpun.htm

 

[DVC Jen]

Looks like a dead mud snake to me. Nonvenomous, pretty common, harmless.

It was definately NOT dead - it was moving right before I took the pic.

My youngest DD was joking around about picking it up and tossing it at her sister - I used the flash on the pic - so it was actually alot darker than the photos shows. We really did just think it was one of those huge "fishing" type worms.

 

[JimMIA]

That one is actually a southern ringneck snake...he is upside down.

That was my second choice, depending on the length. If it was <12 inches, I'd guess ringneck; over 12 inches, I'd say mud snake.

Either way, a harmless snake.

 

[JimMIA]

It was definately NOT dead - it was moving right before I took the pic.

You fooled me. As zackiedawg said, the snake is on its back, and most snakes don't lay on their backs. If it wasn't dead, I'd bet it was badly injured and probably didn't survive the day.

My youngest DD was joking around about picking it up and tossing it at her sister.

It's amazing what people will do with snakes. A while back I saw a park visitor on his hands and knees, with a little twig in his hand, trying to pick up a snake that was about 18-20 inches long. His hand was literally no more than 2-3" from the snake. He looked up and saw the ranger uniform and asked cheerfully, "Do you know what kind of snake this is?"

My response was, "If you don't know...should you be that close?" The gentleman almost injured himself scrambling away from the snake.

The snake was a harmless Everglades Racer, but I've always been disappointed that I didn't have the presence of mind to tell him it was pygmy rattlesnake.

 

[msabol01]

Bats - Usually unseen, though occasional nighttime collisions from bats too distracted chasing bugs to notice they are about to collide with an intersecting human. The bat will flee the scene in just as much fear as the human probably does.

I've had the unfortunate pleasure being one of those "intercepting" humans. It was back in my younger years while I was in the Army. We were conducting a night partol (training) and were getting close to our objective when low and behold a bat flies right into my chest then darts straight up. It then manages to wedge itself between my head and my helmet. I can verify both of us were freakin out at that point and I am sure it was a site watching me flopping around like a crazy man.

This story still brings my wife to tears

 

[jsalls]

I haven't seen any snakes, but saw tons of tiny lizards at the Beach Club there. We even caught one... hope they weren't dangerous!!! As long as we don't have any gators, I am happy as could be!!!

 

[zackiedawg]

I've had the unfortunate pleasure being one of those "intercepting" humans. It was back in my younger years while I was in the Army. We were conducting a night partol (training) and were getting close to our objective when low and behold a bat flies right into my chest then darts straight up. It then manages to wedge itself between my head and my helmet. I can verify both of us were freakin out at that point and I am sure it was a site watching me flopping around like a crazy man.

This story still brings my wife to tears

I know the feeling - I had one smack into my head on a night walk around my neighborhood. I'm very much the 'woodsy' type - I get along with all animals, and have always been the pick-em-up type since i was a kid...but even people who like to pick up animals don't expect to have them randomly smack into them in the darkness, so it still made me jump around swatting at my head until it unlodged itself from my hair. I regained composure a few seconds later when I realized what it was...but I hope no neighbors were watching me as I went into a conniption and smacked my head in the middle of my walk!

I haven't seen any snakes, but saw tons of tiny lizards at the Beach Club there. We even caught one... hope they weren't dangerous!!! As long as we don't have any gators, I am happy as could be!!!

No worries...there aren't any dangerous Florida lizards. Any of them small enough to catch aren't likely to even break skin if they bit...and none have any poisons or anything. Even our 6-foot-long iguanas aren't dangerous for getting bit, though you could get nasty scratches or a nice tail-whip mark if you tried to pick one up that didn't want to be picked up!

You fooled me. As zackiedawg said, the snake is on its back, and most snakes don't lay on their backs. If it wasn't dead, I'd bet it was badly injured and probably didn't survive the day.

Exactly...I assumed it was dead because snakes don't do upside-down...even if you turned one upside down, they'd right themselves immediately. It was likely injured - the jaw looks out of alignment so it looks like the head was injured...if it was still moving, as Jim mentioned, it probably didn't make it. I've got a few of those in my yard - when the babies hatch, they usually get picked up by the grackles and blue jays as food - it's tough for a little snake!

 

[jjpenguin]

That's a beautiful creature. I love snakes and still haven't seen one at Disney!
I saw a Black Racer catch a frog once near Hilton Head. That was cool

Most snakes are sensitive to vibrations, so if you stamp your feet they'll get out of the way.

 

[lugnut33]

Didn't Mary Poppins sing the song, "Feed The Snakes"?

 

[sisaaliyah]

marriedbymickeymouse, I just wanted to say HI I read your post and I'm hoping to not see snakes when we go and when you said you don't see much snakes around here, I looked to see where around here was and it's Bluffton, Ohio. Hi from down I-75 in Lima, Ohio!