Florida Man Challenge: Remember When a Florida Man Captured This Epic Shot of a Snake Strangling a Coyote?
OutdoorHub Reporters 03.21.19
You probably woke up this morning to discover ‘Florida Man Challenge’ trending online. So, we decided to take a look back, and dig up this wild ‘Florida Man’ moment: The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) uploaded a striking image of a large snake strangling a coyote.
No doubt, we have seen some truly bizarre ‘Florida Man’ incidents involving the outdoors/wildlife, but this ranks near the very top.
Coyote tangles with large constrictor snake in the Everglades … but is it real? https://t.co/9Kp57Lpxvv pic.twitter.com/kchYqkCv2s
— South Florida FWS (@USFWSVero) January 28, 2016
The photo was reportedly taken by William James, who encountered the battle between the two predators on Tuesday in the Big Cypress National Preserve. According to Local 10 News, James, his wife, and their young daughter stopped at a rest area near Mile Marker 62 when they heard snarling and barking off a nearby trail.
“I only got one picture,” James told the Miami Herald. “I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a wild animal, but you’re lucky if you have only a moment.”
An experienced hiker, James said he initially thought the snake was a Burmese python, an invasive species that has been causing no small amount of trouble for Florida wildlife. However, experts claim the snake in the photo actually appeared to be a boa constrictor, another non-native species that has become established in south Florida.
Conflicts with #coyotes? Contact your local regional office: https://t.co/CxtJ0EUfLf pic.twitter.com/aoYjAArcap
— MyFWC Life (@MyFWClife) March 19, 2019
Either way, this was a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, right? Not so fast, say skeptics. The photo of the coyote and snake entwined in combat was uploaded online and quickly went viral. It also generated a fierce debate over whether the image had been altered or not.
Boa constrictors are known for their nondiscriminatory diets – they will eat anything that moves – but experts say coyotes are not usually on the menu. There is also no established population of boa constrictors in the area where James claimed to have taken the picture.
A spokesperson from the FWC threw further doubt on the incident by saying the photo appears to have been altered.
Others believe the picture may be real. There is a precedent for Burmese pythons attacking coyotes, so it is not too far of a stretch to imagine that boa constrictors may also prey on the species. On the other hand, some speculate that the fight may have started after the coyote provoked the snake. Coyotes are known to hunt snakes, but not anything close to the size of a boa constrictor.
James said the fight ended after the coyote started biting the snake, which slithered off into the bushes. The coyote walked away with a limp.
Which ‘Florida Man’ moment corresponds with your birthday? Let us know in the comments!
