We found an Eastern King snake in the ivy in our backyard on Saturday, April 25, 2020. I was aware of the Urban Kings Project via the Chattahoochee Nature Center's Instagram postings, so when I saw the snake basking in the ivy, I gave them a call. Urban Kings Project
They took about 15-20 minutes to get to our house. I had lost sight of the snake when it moved in the ivy, but by chance when we went into the backyard, it had come out into the grass. Bryan scooped it right up. He observed that it might have a fungal (?) infection that has been found in local snakes, and it was likely a female. He pointed out the musk that she was putting off as a defense mechanism and that he had to be careful to keep her in the shade so she wouldn't overheat. Eastern King Snakes are non-venomous, but as he pointed out, anything with mouth parts can bite. The snake was happy to demonstrate and bit him on the arm before he left with her.
The project is from Clemson in South Carolina, but they are also working with UGA. She was to be taken to UGA to be checked out, confirm her sex, and to have a radio tracker placed in her. Then they bring the snake back to the area from where it was collected and release it.
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| First sighting in the ivy |
They took about 15-20 minutes to get to our house. I had lost sight of the snake when it moved in the ivy, but by chance when we went into the backyard, it had come out into the grass. Bryan scooped it right up. He observed that it might have a fungal (?) infection that has been found in local snakes, and it was likely a female. He pointed out the musk that she was putting off as a defense mechanism and that he had to be careful to keep her in the shade so she wouldn't overheat. Eastern King Snakes are non-venomous, but as he pointed out, anything with mouth parts can bite. The snake was happy to demonstrate and bit him on the arm before he left with her.
The project is from Clemson in South Carolina, but they are also working with UGA. She was to be taken to UGA to be checked out, confirm her sex, and to have a radio tracker placed in her. Then they bring the snake back to the area from where it was collected and release it.
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| Not me holding her. |
We were told to pick out a name for her to use in their database.