Gone in Our Time? The Plight of the Southern Florida Rainbow Snake

Based on a small series of specimens that he collected (total of 3 in the late 40s and early 50s), Wilfred T. Neill described the Southern Florida Rainbow Snake, Farancia erytrogramma seminola, in 1964.

Found by Neill in a fairly large (but not always flowing) creek in southern Florida, Neill based his diagnosis on the greater amount of black pigment on the venter and lower sides of this subspecies when compared with the more northerly common rainbow snake. Reportedly an obligate eel-eater, the perceived or actual rarity (this snake was declared extinct by US Fish and Wildlife Service biologists on October 5, 2011) might be due to a reduced number of eels in the waterway.

Despite the edict issued by USFWS, several attempts have been since made by private individual and conservation organizations to find this subspecies. Although all efforts have failed, rewards for verified sightings have been offered and hope that this snake will again be found continues.

More photos under the jump...

Facial pattern: Ventral pattern: All photos are of the preserved specimen at Florida Museum of Natural History.

Author, photographer, and columnist Richard Bartlett is one of the most prolific writers on herpetological subjects in the 20th century. With hundreds of books and articles to their credit, Richard and his wife Pat have spent over four decades documenting reptiles both in the field and in captivity. For a list of their current titles, please visit their page in our bookstore.