Differences in pattern or color from the background are often the best way to spot creatures in the wild. This snake caught my eye due to both of those factors, plus he was moving!
I’m not a big snake fan, but I was fascinated by the shapes this one took as he moved down the tree trunk and that he could hang onto the tree. He was intertwined when I first saw him. I thought he was eating something but it turns out his head was directly over his tail.
Slowly he worked his way towards the ground, straightening out, his body taking an indirect route.
Then he made a few 90 degree turns. I got distracted by the Reddish Egret in the water beyond this tree line and when I looked back he was gone. I promptly went the other way.
One of the photographers I was traveling with identified this as a Brown Snake, and harmless to humans. I’ll take her word for it. He was brown so I’m not looking it up — too many pictures when you Google snake.
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, 1/28/2018
Snakes are fascinating…..at a distance! 🙂 Great action shots, Ellen, when I first saw a snake go up a tree trunk, I almost couldn’t believe it!
I agree, Donna! I couldn’t even comprehend what it was at first as it seemed to defy gravity.
How long was he?
Around 3 feet. I should have taken a shot that included the entire tree for perspective.
If only snakes would have a human tongue, they’d look less scary…..I find their split tongue very creepy !!!
Trying to envision that. Of course my preference is not to get so close that I could tell!