When St. Johns County Parks Naturalist Kelly Ussia came to the Ponte Vedra Beach Branch Library Jan. 31 to do a PowerPoint presentation on snakes and alligators, she brought some live specimens with her.
Including a 4-foot long Corn Snake, named “Maize.”
Maize seemed perfectly content wrapped around Ussia’s arm as the naturalist walked around the room with her, so the audience could get a closer look.
“I fed her a few days ago,” Ussia joked. “No big deal.”
Ussia gives hour-long presentations every month in the Friends of the Library Room about nature topics of interest to St. Johns County residents of all ages.
Her talk on snakes and alligators was popular and well received with adults and children in attendance.
“It was really good,” said Taner Sarac, a tourist from Turkey, after he snapped a closeup photo of the baby alligator Ussia brought.
Ussia opened her talk with facts about reptiles, including that they are cold-blooded, lay leathery eggs, have scales, are vertebrates and breathe air. That includes alligators, she said. “Alligators are holding their breaths when they go underwater.” Although, she said, they can hold it longer than humans.
She then presented facts about snakes and listed the species that are found in Northeast Florida.
All snakes are carnivores, lack eyelids and external ears and don’t chew their food. They unhinge their lower jaws to take in and swallow food. All snakes can swim, although not all like to. And they are found in every continent except Antarctica.
Florida has 45 native species of snakes. Six are venomous (she emphasized not to use the word poisonous, because their venom is injected and not swallowed) and five are exotic, including the Burmese Python which is slithering rampant in the Everglades but not found in St. Johns County.
“Be thankful for I-4,” Ussia said, as that keeps many invasive species from moving from South Florida northward. “Not many things can cross I-4 safely.”
Non-venomous snakes in the First Coast area include the black racer, rat snake, eastern garter snake, southern ringneck snake and eastern indigo snake. Rat snakes come in two categories, “chicken snakes” and “corn snakes,” of which Maize was an example.
Of the six venomous snakes in Florida, four can be found in St. Johns County. They include coral snakes, the water moccasin, diamondbacks and pygmy rattlers.
Ussia said water moccasins are often confused with Banded Water Snakes, which are non-venomous. She pointed out the subtle differences in their tail shapes in photos, but warned, “If you are close enough to see a snake’s tail, you are too close. Get back. Give it space.”
She advised that if a snake bites you, seek medical attention, adding the surprising fact that even a dead snake can bite, so don’t pick one up.
Her tips for living with snakes included: never corner them and snake-proof your yard by trimming overgrown shrubs and removing brush piles.
Ussia then switched to the topic of alligators.
Alligators can average 10 to 15 feet in length and weigh 400 to 1,000 pounds. Found from North Carolina to Texas, fun facts include that they have two sets of eyelids, can go through 3,000 teeth in a lifetime and have brains the size of walnuts.
They mate in May and June, when they are the most active.
Her tips for living with alligators included: never feed them, it is illegal. Don’t allow dogs to swim in waters with alligators and report truly nuisance alligators by calling the state at 866-FWC-GATOR.
“Never handle” an alligator, and before reporting one, make sure it is truly a threat, Ussia said. The animal will not be relocated, it will be put down.
Ussia ended her talk by walking around with a baby alligator and then letting people pet it.
“Hopefully I have replaced your fear of snakes and alligators with respect,” Ussia said.
“We have nothing to fear. They are just trying to live in our world.”
