A team of wildlife influencers and snake handlers shared a video on social media showing an emergency c-section on a green water snake in Florida. And the result was the stuff of nightmares — unless you like snakes, of course.
In the video, Alex Robertson, a self-described firefighter, former biologist, and Floridian who likes animals and surfing, explained that they found the snake after a car ran it over. "This time of year, a lot of these pregnant snakes are out crossing roads and getting hit, so we always stop and try to salvage any babies we can find," he said.
The video shows Robertson's colleague Taylor Stanberry, a travel influencer and keeper of venomous animals, slice open the green water snake and then force a bulge down its belly toward its tail. You can see a black and red mass near the snake's bottom. Then, she flips the snake over and starts pulling out clumps from the mass.
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Robertson explained that Stanberry had cut open the snake to access the baby snakes inside the larger snake's body. She then pulls the bloody sacks off the tiny baby snakes. He added that the purpose of the snake cesarean section and removing the amniotic sacks is to allow the snakelets to breathe.
"Right now, they're not getting any oxygen. So basically, what she's doing is she's tearing open those sacks, stimulating the babies and getting them to take their first breaths. Then, they start wiggling around," Robertson said.
The next morning, the video shows the snakelets in a container. Robertson lifts a wet towel and reveals dozens of baby snakes. "It's amazing how many babies they have and how many get killed, so every chance we get, we try to save these guys and then release them the next day," he said.
What is a green water snake?
The University of Florida describes a green water snake as non-venomous and nearly identical to a Mississippi green water snake. While they both have solid coloring, the Florida snake has a pale belly. Also, many often mistake it for a cottonmouth but the green water snake has a thinner body and round eyes. The green water snake lives throughout Florida, mostly in open freshwater habitats with abundant vegetation. They primarily eat fish, tadpoles, frogs, and salamanders.
