The rarest snake in North America has been spotted for the first time in four years, but this rim rock-crowned snake was found dead after attempting to devour a large centipede.
The creatures were discovered by a hiker in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo, Florida. CT scans revealed that the arthropod was one-third the size of the snake that had consumed around 75 percent of it.
The scientists also discovered a small wound on the snake’s side that was presumably caused by the centipede’s highly toxic pinchers, sparking disagreement about whether the snake died from the poison fluid or suffocation.
Researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History were “astounded” by the discovery, which marks the first time that humans have seen the rock-crowned snake’s eating habits.
The scientists performed a digital autopsy on the animals, which revealed that the centipede had become lodged in the snake’s airway.
The scientists stated in a press statement that the snake’s trachea was compressed at the approximate region where the centipede’s girth was greatest.
One of the researchers, Jaimi Gray, said in a statement, ‘We were able to do a digital autopsy, which allowed us to study the centipede and snake, including their injuries and gastrointestinal contents, without using a scalpel.
Although asphyxiation is the most likely cause of death, the scientists wanted to rule out the centipede’s lethal venom.
CT scans allowed researchers to examine the bite, which looked to cause some internal bleeding, but they concluded that the venom was insufficient to prevent the snake from killing and partially consuming its prey.
The scans revealed that it all came down to the size of the two animals, as the snake’s trachea was compressed at the approximate position of the centipede’s maximum circumference.
This presumably cut off the snake’s air supply, leading to suffocation, according to the team’s press statement.
The findings provide an intimate look at a species that many believe is on the edge of extinction.
The rock crown snake, scientifically known as Tantilla oolitica, previously flourished in pine Rocklands stretching from Central Florida to the Florida Keys, but its population has since declined to owe to human settlement.
This resulted in the population decline of the snake, which prompted Florida officials to classify it as threatened in 1975.
Since then, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has worked to have the species added to the official list.
Along the spine of an ancient coral reef, pine Rockland habitats have evolved for millions of years, supporting a large variety of flora and creatures found nowhere else on Earth.
However, the same characteristics that promoted the formation of hyperdiverse woods also made this region of Florida a perfect location for the development of towns and cities.
Today, a continuous development spread from Miami to West Palm Beach has nearly eradicated the native ecosystems.
Nonetheless, only 2% of the original pine Rocklands persist outside of the Everglades.
For some Rockland-endemic species, such as T. oolitica, the new cityscapes have meant near extinction.
We cannot definitively state whether or not they remain in peninsular Florida. The disappearance of evidence does not prove absence, but their environment has been essentially decimated,’ Sheehy added.
