FLORIDA: Rare Snake Bites Off More Than It Can Swallow, Chokes on Sizable Centipede

After choking on a huge centipede, a rare snake was discovered dead in Florida.

The John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park located in Key Largo is where researchers discovered the Tantilla oolitica, more popularly known as the rim rock crowned snake.

According to a press release from the Florida Museum of Natural History, this was the snake's first sighting in four years.

A large centipede was wedged halfway through the snake's mouth, which was dead.

A hiker discovered the snake and informed the park staff.

The specimen was later returned to the Florida Museum by scientists for further study. The journal Ecology published a study on the discovery on September 4.

Rare, Endangered

An endangered species, the rim rock crowned snake is non-venomous. It is only occasionally seen and endemic to southern Florida.

Before this, scientists were unsure of the rare snake's diet, even though it was known that centipedes were its preferred food.

The rim rock crowned snake has never been observed eating an arthropod before.

Coleman Sheehy, a co-author of the study and manager of the herpetology collection at the Florida Museum, stated in a press release that when he first saw the photos, he was "amazed".

Given the rarity of this species, Sheehy stated that it is extremely uncommon to find specimens that ended up dead while consuming prey.

He claimed that he never would have imagined coming across something of this nature. The entire team was completely taken aback.

Autopsy, CT Scans, Study

An autopsy was conducted by scientists to ascertain the cause of death.

The snake's side had been cut by the venomous pinchers of the centipede, which led to some internal bleeding, according to the autopsy.

Altough it is highly improbable that it was the cause of death, researchers found that snakes that regularly consume centipedes would have been immune to the venom.

Scientists concluded that the centipede's size was what ultimately killed the snake.

The flexible jaws of many snakes allow them to wrap around wide prey without suffocating, allowing them to swallow prey that is much larger than themselves.

However, snakes occasionally overestimate their abilities.

The largest part of the centipede was blocking the rim rock crowned snake's windpipe, according to CT scans. The rare snake suffocated as a result.

The study provided a unique window into the elusive species, whose scarcity prevents scientists from frequently having the opportunity to study the species.

They are thought to be close to going extinct because they are so uncommonly seen. But for the time being, Key Largo appears to still have a population.

The existence of the snake species in peninsular Florida is still uncertain, according to Sheehy. The habitat has essentially been destroyed, he continued, so the lack of evidence is not proof of absence, Newsweek reported.

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