I've heard the "tongue color" explanation as well. And I've seen plenty of Florida ratsnakes with tongues mottled in black and red. My question is: Are orangeness and tongue color the only thing that make Everglades a "valid" subspecies, or is there something more substantial? Color is usually regarded as a "flimsy" excuse for subspeciation - usually there's a physical body part that's different in order for something to be a subspecies.

Whatever those snakes in this post are, they sure are beautiful!

Tim

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