Here in Florida, there isn’t really such a thing as escaping the wildlife. If there’s not a gator in your pool, there’s likely a palmetto bug in your shower, or a daddy long legs in your pantry, or an opossum that’s burrowed its way inside your couch, or a snake in your garden. There’s most definitely a snake in your garden.
But don’t freak out! Snakes are largely non-aggressive and would much rather get very far away from you than risk getting close enough to bite. If you do happen to get bitten, only about 15% of the over 3,000 species of snake that exist are actually venomous, and hospitals tend to carry antivenom for local species on hand. Cottonmouths, otherwise known as water moccasins, are generally the greatest concern when traversing Florida wetlands, but usually only bite when disturbed or stepped on, according to the Florida Museum.
Snakes are not monsters lurking in the grass waiting to strike. They’re just squiggly little noodles living their squiggly little lives, and they’re celebrated on February 1 for National Serpent Day. Seriously, look at the Kenyan sand boa. It’s as if someone was asked to draw a snake without ever having seen one before. Look at its dumb face and try to claim that it’s a threat to society. You can’t.
On top of being wonderful companions to share the planet with, snakes also make excellent pets. Just like more conventional pets, snakes have their own individual personalities, and they recognize the people they’re frequently handled by, a fact sourced from this blog’s author, who has seven lovely years of snake parent experience. They can be petted, played with, and even taken on walks as long as their handler does most of the walking and they have a warm pocket or sleeve to settle into.
Unfortunately, the snake cinematic universe does not agree with the sentiment that snakes are simply friend-shaped, so if you do happen to watch a snake monster movie, such as the ones listed below, do just look back at that photo of the Kenyan sand boa and remember that their favorite hobby is to boop their little snouts into things.
- Movies
- Image
Nelville Flynn is escorting a witness on a plane that is bound for Los Angeles. The problem is that an assassin is bent on killing the witness. The assassin releases a crate containing about 450 deadly snakes onto the same plane. Nelville finds out and he becomes bent on doing his job and getting the snakes back where they belong - on land. If the snakes won't cooperate with Nelville, he will just have to send the snakes on to snake heaven.
Image
Deep in Appalachia, Pastor Lemuel Childs officiates over an isolated community of serpent handlers, an obscure sect of Pentecostals who freely take up venomous snakes to prove themselves before God. As his devoted daughter Mara prepares for her wedding day under the observant eye of Hope Slaughter, Mara reveals a deadly secret that threatens to shatter the entire community.
Image
The world's first international highest security prison, designed to house some of the most dangerous criminals, has been build in the Antarctic. The prison is considered entirely escape proof. But now a giant and deadly man-eating snake, that has been dormant for centuries, has been awakened and has a voracious appetite for human flesh.
- Adult Fiction
- Image
Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.
Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou's, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.
The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou's most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.
And love makes fools of us all.Image
Sister Snake by Amanda Lee Koe
Sisterhood is difficult for Su and Emerald. Su leads a sheltered, moneyed life as the picture-perfect wife of a conservative politician in Singapore. Emerald is a nihilistic sugar baby in New York, living from whim to whim as she freely uses her beauty and charms to make ends meet. But they share a secret; once they were snakes, basking under a full moon in Tang Dynasty China.
A thousand years later, their mysterious history is the only thing still binding them together. When Emerald experiences a violent encounter in Central Park and Su boards the next flight to New York, the two reach a tenuous reconciliation for the first time in decades. Su convinces Emerald to move to Singapore so she can keep an eye on her—but she soon begins to worry that Emerald’s irrepressible behavior will out them both, in a sparkling, affluent city where everything runs like clockwork and any deviation from the norm is automatically suspect.
Razor-sharp, hilarious, and raw in emotion, Sister Snake explores chosen family, queerness, passing, and the struggle against conformity. Reimagining the Chinese folktale “The Legend of the White Snake,” this is a novel about being seen for who you are—and, ultimately, how to live free.
- Nonfiction
- Image
Florida’s Snakes: A Guide to Their Identification and Habits by R. D. Bartlett
Because Florida’s human population has increased so dramatically over the past three decades, residents are more likely than ever to encounter a snake or legless lizard. This book is designed to dispel some of the apprehension from these encounters by providing a comprehensive, illustrated guide to the 86 species and subspecies of snakes and legless lizards living within the state.
Each reptile is illustrated with a color photograph accompanied by a range map detailing where it can be found. The descriptions of each animal provide specific details on appearance, size, behavior, and venomous qualities. Additional text addresses captive care, how to find snakes, legal issues, reproduction modes, prey and prey procurement, and an explanation of classification.
Because of introduced species, there are actually more snake species living in the state today than when Florida was truly wild. The 2-to-6-foot snakes are most commonly encountered, such as the green snake, yellow rat snake, and diamond-backed rattlesnake, but Florida’s ophidiofauna range in size from the earthworm-sized Brahminy blind snake (also called the flowerpot snake, after one of its favorite habitats) to the Burmese python, which reaches a length of 15 feet or more. Both are introduced species. This is the only field guide for Florida snakes that includes native along with introduced and established species and commonly seen but not yet established species. Its handy format and comprehensive coverage provide identification for species anywhere in Florida as well as in adjacent areas of neighboring states.Image
A treasury of astonishing mythic marvels-and the surprising truths behind them. Adrienne Mayor is renowned for exploring the borders of history, science, archaeology, anthropology, and popular knowledge to find historical realities and scientific insights-glimmering, long-buried nuggets of truth-embedded in myth, legends, and folklore. Combing through ancient texts and obscure sources, she has spent decades prospecting for intriguing wonders and marvels, historical mysteries, diverting anecdotes, and hidden gems from antiquity, medieval, and modern times. Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws is a treasury of fifty of her most amazing and amusing discoveries. The book explores such subjects as how mirages inspired legends of cities in the sky; the true identity of winged serpents in ancient Egypt; how ghost ships led to the discovery of the Gulf Stream; and the beauty secrets of ancient Amazons. Other pieces examine Arthur Conan Doyle’s sea serpent and Geronimo's dragon; Flaubert's obsession with ancient Carthage; ancient tattooing practices; and the strange relationship between wine goblets and women's breasts since the times of Helen of Troy and Marie Antoinette. And there's much, much more. Showcasing Mayor's trademark passion not to demythologize myths, but to uncover the fascinating truths buried beneath them, Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws is a wonder cabinet of delightful curiosities
Image
Snake in the Grass: An Everglades Invasion by Larry Perez
A plague is spreading throughout the Florida Everglades. Nonnative Burmese pythons--one of the largest snakes on the planet--are now known to be reproducing freely in the shallow waters of the famed River of Grass. Over the past decade, thousands of pythons have made themselves at home across the landscape. And though scientists work feverishly to learn as much as possible about this unprecedented invader, methods of control remain elusive. Many questions remain in the wake of this troubling discovery. How far north might the Burmese python venture from the Everglades wilderness? What might their presence mean for the countless birds and mammals--some of them endangered--with which south Florida has become synonymous? And does history seem poised to repeat itself as new, large reptiles are discovered to be thriving in the area's favorable climate? The story unfolding in the Florida Everglades provides new opportunities to revisit our understanding of wilderness and man's place within it.
- Children's Fiction
- Image
The Serpent’s Secret by Sayantani DasGupta
Meet Kiranmala: Interdimensional demon slayer (Only she doesn't know it yet.) On the morning of her twelfth birthday, Kiranmala is just a regular sixth grader living in Parsippany, New Jersey ... until her parents mysteriously vanish and a drooling rakkhosh demon slams through her kitchen, determined to eat her alive. Turns out there might be some truth to her parents' fantastical stories - like how Kiranmala is a real Indian princess and how she comes from a secret place not of this world. To complicate matters, two crush-worthy princes ring her doorbell, insisting they've come to rescue her. Suddenly, Kran is swept into another dimension full of magic, winged horses, moving maps, and annoying, talking birds. There she must solve riddles and battle demons, all while avoiding the Serpent King of the underworld (who may or may not want to kill her) and the Rakkhoshi Queen (who definitely does) in order to find her parents and basically save New Jersey, her entire world, and everything beyond it.
Image
Boa’s Bad Birthday by Jeanne Willis
Boa is hoping to enjoy his best birthday ever, but most of his friends' gifts are very disappointing.
Image
Snakes in Space by Kathryn Dennis
A colorful crew of snakes blasts into outer space and explores stars and planets.