Pituophis melanoleucus
—
Pinesnake
Subspecies I've seen:
P. m. mugitus
Florida Pinesnake
Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus
—
Florida Pinesnake
We were lucky to come across this large snake resting motionless on the pine forest floor. This type of snake is widespread in Florida, but is so secretive that it's not clear whether they are common or rare. They have a reputation for being belligerent, but this one was content to rest while I snuck up pretty close for some pictures.
Printed references:
- Bartlett, R. D., Tennant, A. 2000. Snakes of North America, Western Region
- Behler, J. L., King, F. W. 1979. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles & Amphibians
- Conant, R., Collins, J. T. 1998. Peterson Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, Third Edition, expanded
- Crother, B. I. (ed.) 2017. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding, Eighth Edition
- Stebbins, R. C. 2003. Peterson Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, Third Edition
- Tennant, A. 1997. A Field Guide to Snakes of Florida