Officials with the City of Lakeland have taped off an area of Lake Hollingsworth after residents noticed a large number of horny snakes.
“Regarding snakes spotted on Lake Hollingsworth near the roundabout,” began a Feb. 13 Facebook post on the official City of Lakeland Parks & Recreation page. “It appears they have congregated for mating. They are non-venomous and generally not aggressive as long as people do not disturb them. Once the mating is over they should go their separate ways.”
The snakes appear to be native water snakes, however some residents have pointed out that a water moccasin nest was also spotted in the same area.
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“While we cannot rule out the presence of other species being in that location or other locations around the lake we believe the water snakes have congregated in that area as they seem to do yearly,” continued the post.
The City of Lakeland has since placed caution tape around the area and has plans to also hang signs warning the public about the snake orgy.
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