The first is the Georgia snake catcher who happened upon the rarest snake in Georgia. He had almost given up his search for the day when he spotted it. Immediately, his energy went through the roof as he beheld a sight he had been yearning for throughout his entire life. The second Georgia man came across another type of rarity. It wasn’t so much the type of snake but how big it had grown. It’s not often these types of snakes grow to that impressive size and the second man managed to get a photo of himself holding the marvel. Luckily, in both these instances, the snakes played nice, despite both men treating them as if they were the ultimate celebrities!
Meet a Northern Pine Snake in Georgia
Everyone has a passion — some express it quietly, perhaps with writing or drawing. Others can’t contain their excitement when they’ve discovered something they love, especially if it’s a rarity they’ve been searching for. In this clip, Christian Cave on TikTok comes across the rarest snake in Georgia. He’s a wildlife enthusiast and even if you’re not a fan of snakes, his energy is contagious. The video starts off with subtitles that explain he and his team almost went home because of the weather. However, he’s already screaming with excitement at the start of the video. The person filming quickly exits the vehicle and you see Christian Cave with his hands grasping the sides of his head, in complete amazement. He falls to his knees on the sand, his eyes focused on something off to the right. Then he addresses the camera, “Guys! My first ever Pituophis melanoleucas!” In layman’s terms, a northern pine snake. The snake, as if appalled by his shrieking, starts slithering away but he reaches out to grab it before it can get too far. “Slow down, mate,” he says, before going on to say, “This is the snake I’ve been looking for my entire life!” This is an incredibly elusive snake, having earned the nickname “ghost of the sandhills.” Christian Cave continues explaining how rare it is to spot this snake as he holds it with both hands. It wriggles about on his forearm as he explains that it’s a non-venomous snake. He is so excited he is nearly hyperventilating throughout the video. However, he manages to offer a thorough explanation of this snake, showing it off throughout the video.
Meet an Indigo Snake in Georgia
It’s certainly an eventful year for wildlife enthusiasts in Georgia. In October, wildlife biologist, Dee Mincey, found an indigo snake in Fort Stewart, GA. Not just any indigo snake, either — this one measured seven feet, seven inches. A whopping 2.5 feet longer than the average indigo found in the area. The snake made headlines, as did Mincey’s Facebook photo where he’s holding the incredibly long snake. Indigo snakes are known for their remarkable lengths, but even with that knowledge, this one was something to wonder at. These snakes, like the northern pine snake, are non-venomous. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t bite! If threatened, indigo snakes won’t hesitate to defend themselves. They may even release an awful-smelling musk. They are, however, known for being quite aggressive with their prey. They chase prey like rodents down but here’s a fun fact — they even go for venomous snakes like rattlesnakes and copperheads! Biologists believe they may actually be immune to their venom. Although this one was discovered in Georgia, indigo snakes also inhabit other states, including Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. If you spot one, it is likely to avoid you first. They can be helpful in human-inhabited environments because they serve as pest control. However, if you’re not well-versed with snakes and you spot one of these out on your hike, you may just naturally run for the hills! We don’t blame you. There are lots of different kinds of snakes in Georgia, but they can be broken down into two categories: venomous and non-venomous. Some of the non-venomous snakes include the northern pine snake, the indigo snake, corn snake, and the northern water snake. Venomous snakes include copperheads, timber rattlesnakes, eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, and cottonmouths. How do I identify a snake in Georgia? By doing plenty of research! There are many more non-venomous snakes in the state than venomous snakes. That means if you encounter one, it’s more than likely non-venomous. However, it gets tricky because some of them look similar. Copperheads have some non-venomous lookalikes!
