Well, you were certainly in timber rattler territory, Melissa. Here is a range map for timber rattlers in Florida. They can reach a length of about 6' and have a very distinctive "chevron" pattern of dark brown to black bands along the length of the body. The color depth can very from a light tan with brown bands to a very dark brown, nearly black. I don't think of them as being black & white myself, though that might be the impression you would get while driving by. There are a couple of other non-venomous snakes you might have seen instead, but it is really hard to tell without a photo or more solid description. Here is a good photo of a timber rattler in the color I think of as being "normal" for them. And here is a picture of one that's much darker. Does either look like a good match for what you saw? Marcia

Marcia, Please help me find out what kind of snake I came across today. While I was at the local dog park (near Orlando) I came across a yellow with black stripes snake. It looked to be between 3.5-4 feet long and did not appear at first glance (that was all I gave it out of fear) to be shiny. I was about 3 feet from it and didn't know it until my dog almost stepped on it. She obviously didn't see it either. The snake seemed a pit peeved about the whole thing but it decided not to attack and to slowly slither towards ME to get away from my dog. Needless to say, I took off in a different direction real quick and hollered for my dog to follow. I am not like you or others on this site. I am not a fan of snakes and am extremely afraid of them. Although, I don't mind the black racers that seem to have taken up permanent residence in MY back yard and they love to procreate often (or so it seems). I have seen a lot less field rats since the racers moved in and that makes me very happy. Anyway, can you help me figure out what this snake was? I have spent hours and hours online tonight trying to find it and just can't seem to find anything that looks like it. I am guessing that it is not dangerous to me or my dogs??? I am scared to take my dogs back through those woods that they so dearly love. As soon as I told them, "No more woods until the snakes are gone again," they "told" me to find it if it was dangerous or not and if it isn't that they want to go back again. So that is mostly why I am asking you for your help. We all love the walks but I am afraid of the snakes. Please help me feel safer about going back. Thanks in advance for your help.

Last week, when I was driving into the neighborhood, I saw something in the middle of the road and thought......surely NOT...so I got out and looked and it was a little baby bird. Just sitting there. In the 100 degree heat in the middle of the afternoon. My mind went numb (I NEVER know what to do with baby birds or injured animals) and I picked it up and looked at it and noticed that it had some type of injury to it's backend. I was horrified but there was nothing I could do except put it off the road onto the yard by the road (I had been coming back from the vet with my dogs, who happened to be in my car so there was no taking it back to my house). I was so sick about it! When I got home, my older daughter said "you didn't run over that baby bird did you?". Apparently she had gotten home from work earlier so the little bird had been sitting in the hot road for a while. Probably with cars going by. I just don't know what to do in those situations.

His eye does appear reddish-pink, like an albino's should be, but he does have a problem. I don't know if it is a stuck eye cap, or an infection. I'd wait until he sheds, and see if the eye improves. You should be able to notice the eye caps on the shed skin, and if you can't find them, you'll know he's retained them. Sometimes, after several eye caps have built up, it's necessary to consult a vet who knows about this problem, but usually they will come off with the next shed, provided that you let the snake soak plenty during his "opaque" cycle. If there's an infection in his eye, a vet will need to prescribe antibiotics. Sharon McKenzie