JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A snake initially identified as a "large python spotted snake" in trees above a playground in the exclusive Deerwood community in Jacksonville may not be that after all.
The snake was spotted Sunday, prompting the neighborhood's engagement office to issue an alert to residents. Anyone spotting the snake was asked to call the Deerwood security office, which would call the city's Animal Control and Protective Services.
"This type of snake is not venomous, however, we ask you to please keep an eye out for it when visiting the park," read the note from the Deerwood Improvement Association.
READ: Deerwood's alert to residents
News 6 partner WJXT-TV referred photos of the snake to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. That agency's reptile and amphibian conservation coordinator and a second snake expert both believe it is most likely a yellow rat snake, which is native to Florida, can be up to 6 feet long and loves oak and cypress trees.
There's no word whether learning that the snake is not a python was of any comfort to those who saw it.