Jimmy,

I've started "jumping up and down!"

Yeah, I no expert on Everglades Rats and I'm just stated what I've read. Here's an excerpt from Dick Bartlett's book "In Search of Reptiles and Amphibians." It is in the section "The plight of Rossalleni" where he discusses if there's any "pure" Everglades Rat Snakes left in the wild:

"Obviously of yellow rat snake lineage but more intensely colored and with a red, rather than black, tongue it was a characteristic serpent from the environs of Okeechobee southward into the 'glades."

Later he states:

"The yellow began its insidious southward movement and the Keys phase began moving north. This further increased pressure on rossalleni which were now feeely interbreeding with the newcomers. By the time the mid-70s had rolled around, most of the snakes to be found between South Bay and Andytown displayed intergrade characteristics. Rather than orange snakes with faded stripes and red tongues, they were yellow-orange with rather promonant striping and tongues that were half red, half black."

Tim

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