On May 7th, police patrolling in Alachua County, located in North Central Florida, witnessed an unusual battle between a hawk and a racer snake.
Police rescue the injured hawk. (Video: Alachua County Police)
Officers were alerted to an injured hawk lying on the road in a residential area outside Gainesville. Upon arrival, they were astonished by the cause of the hawk’s injury. It was being constricted by a racer snake in a life-and-death struggle, according to a statement from the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office. The small snake was tightly coiled around the predator’s neck, and the hawk was nearly dead.
The racer snake has a powerful grip, and it took the police over a minute to free the reptile. It belonged to the black racer species, a native snake in North America found throughout Florida.
The injured hawk lying on the road in a residential area outside Gainesville.
North American racer snakes are non-venomous and pose no threat to humans. They have elongated bodies, averaging 50 – 142 cm in length, according to the Florida Museum. Racer snakes inhabit a variety of environments, including grasslands, shrublands, forests, and sometimes suburban areas. Although they are not aggressive by nature, they are willing to bite in self-defense, especially if they are held tightly by an assailant.
Back in mid-December of the previous year, a similar battle between a racer snake and a hawk occurred in the same neighborhood. The snake was likely attacked by a hungry hawk and retaliated as a form of defense. After the struggle, police freed the hawk, allowing it to fly away, while the snake slithered across the asphalt road.
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office expressed gratitude to the officers who arrived promptly to help both animals survive. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission advises the public to avoid approaching areas with nests and to eliminate food sources such as rodents that may attract snakes to homes.
