Biologists from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute have identified the cause of death for the rarest snake in North America found in Florida National Park. The animal choked while attempting to swallow a venomous centipede. The journal reports the discovery. Ecology.
Tough Crowned Stone Snake (Tantilla oolitica) spends much of its life underground, taking shelter in crevices or burrowing beneath rocks. Only about 26 individuals are known to exist, and urbanization has reduced their living space by roughly 98 percent in the state. Until recently, researchers did not know what this species ate. No Crowned Stone Snake has been observed alive or dead since 2018.
In 2022, a visitor to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park found a dead snake along a trail. The snake died while attempting to consume its prey, a giant centipede (Scolopendra alternans). Other Crowned Stone Snakes also prey on giant centipedes and other dangerous creatures, including scorpions. The deceased individual measured a little over 20 centimeters in length and could swallow prey about 50 millimeters long, leaving a 23 millimeter centipede behind at the end. Computed tomography, applied for the first time to this species, showed the predator’s trachea constricted. A wound from the centipede’s poisonous claws was also found on the snake. Despite the injury, there was only minor bleeding and no signs of poisoning.
Since 1975, the Crowned Stone Snake has been listed as endangered. This study enhances the understanding of the lifestyle of a rare species and will guide future conservation measures to safeguard it.