The snake was recently spotted for the first time in four years. After a four-year absence, the rarest snake in North America, the Tantilla oolitica (rim rock crowned snake), was recently discovered at a park in the Florida Keys. The snake encounter was more of a source of astonishing awe than anyt
The rim rock crowned snake was found dead in the Florida Keys, locked in lifeless combat with a giant centipede it had managed to swallow halfway. Credit: Drew MartinAfter a four-year absence, the rarest snake in North America, the, was recently discovered at a park in the Florida Keys. The snake encounter was more of a source of astonishing awe than anything else, despite the fact that this would typically be a reason for joy among conservationists.
The snake was first spotted by a hiker in Key Largo’s John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, who then informed park personnel. In order to determine the precise cause of death, the specimen was swiftly sent to experts at the Florida Museum of Natural History. Jaimi Gray, a postdoctoral associate at the museum, stained the snake with an iodine solution to enhance the contrast of its internal tissues and constructed a fine-scaled 3D model from CT scans.
Instead, the final blow seems to have been dealt by the centipede’s size. Close inspection of the CT scans shows the snake’s trachea was pinched at the approximate location where the centipede’s circumference was the largest, cutting off its air supply.Tantilla oolitica