I guess the development has displaced a lot of the local wildlife, if people think there are no snakes in the area. We are famous for snakes, always have been! Diamondback rattlesnakes, pygmy rattlers, copperhead mocassins, coral snakes and others are in abundance. They were a daily event in the old days, before the palmetto dunes were disturbed. My brother actually saw a sea snake crawling from the dunes toward the water's edge at Grayton, just last year. The pygmy rattler and copperheads are quite aggressive and will give chase if provoked. Coral snakes are hard to differentiate from the more common king snake, but for their colored bands. This is one thing that always gave me the shivers about FL, as I am not fond of reptiles of any sort. Cannot even stomach the idea of frogs legs.
We have rattlesnakes out here, too. They are all in the rocks of the canyon behind our house and are prolific in producing the deadly baby rattlers. Their babies are born with the same amount of venom as an adult snake, but they chew rather than strike. One afternoon, I was coasting rather fast on my bicycle downhill on the road and there was a rattlesnake at least six feet long stretched across the road; it was en route from the rocky area to the creek. The choices were to try and stop on the bike, possibly wiping out right next to the snake, or to keep riding and pass over it. I just kept going, felt the big bump in the road and kept riding until the snake was at an appreciable distance. Watched him slither on across the road and very nearly lost my lunch. I have no affection for reptiles.
