It was struggling slowly enough for me to recognize it as an injured Eastern Coachwhipsnake, Masticophis flagellum flagellum, (thank you for the ID, Dr. Bruce Means, FSU) . I turned around to get it off the road. I was halfway out of the car when you deliberately ran over the snake when you could have avoided it. It was still struggling to get to the other side in the center of the road.
When your wheel hit it, the impact made it's halves rise up - I could see its mouth open wide in a silent scream.
I took it off the road and it was still alive, and it died a few minutes later. Someone in a car passed and I'm sure, thought I was crazy.
Nevertheless, you killed a perfectly harmless snake. It wasn't venomous - in fact, this sight hunter takes small game - lizards, other snakes, small birds, eggs, turtles. These snakes kill venomous snakes and rodents and other things - not by venom, or suffocation by constriction, but by pinning their prey against the ground and disabling them with bites from strong jaws.
Its great speed and agility wasn't fast enough to avoid you.
So you killed it. It might have lived. I could have brought it home to nurse its wound and kept it until it was better - doing the best I could under the advice of a herpetologist friend - or give it to a person who keeps snakes to tend it and release it.
I doubt you subscribe to my blog. Wouldn't that be something, if unknown to you, I am speaking to you now as you read this.
For all you others - snakes, as much as I don't wish to keep them as pets and fear the venomous ones, have a place in the niche of creation and are just fellow travelers here. They make their living by controlling rodents and reptiles and frogs and such. Even if they are venomous, they would rather slither away than confront you and expend their venom.
Next time, try not to run over that snake. Believe it or not, they have their good points, and an inherent value in the chain of life.
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